Her Shine
by Keiko Fujiwara
Summary: Everything Winry has ever promised or cherished is all taken away from her in less than one day. What will Edward do when he finds out? Note: This was intended to be a one-shot. Now going to be at least a three chapter fic due to length. Warnings for rating: Sexual assault/abuse...MORE IMPORTANT INFO ADDED TO FFIC! . EDxWIN!
1. Part I

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST IN ANYWAY! **

**This had started as a oneshot but because it is way more than 20 pages long on WORD, I've decided to hack it down into long chapters. :)**

**BEWARE: THE FIRST CHAPTER IS 20 PAGES LONG! **

**Because of what I decided to do with the chapters, I will not have chapter names because the second and if there is a third will automatically resume after the ending of the previous chapter!**

**I will try my hardest to write it to the best of my ability :)**

**WARNINGS: **

**SEXUAL ABUSE WILL BE MENTIONED BRIEFLY IN THIS STORY! I WILL ADD A WARNING BEFORE THE EXPLICITNESS FOR ANYONE WHO CHOOSES TO SKIP IT! ADDITIONALLY, I WILL ADD A "PLEASE RESUME HERE" FOR THOSE WHO DO WISH TO SKIP THE UNFORTUNATE BUT NECESSARY SECTION OF THIS FANFICTION.  
**

**IF ANYONE IS OFFENDED BY ANYMEANS, THAT IS NOT MY INTENTION TO DO SO. IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY READING THIS FANFICTION, I IMPLORE YOU TO SEEK OTHER FANFICTIONS OF EdxWin ELSEWHERE! **

**Rated M**

**READ AT YOUR OWN RISK**

**YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED **

**Now, if you have made it this far, I hope you enjoy the happy parts of this fanfiction. I REALLY hope you DON'T enjoy the BAD section of this fanfiction because, well, that would be really, really, really disturbing….**

**Just saying**

**Well, without further ado….**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Her Shine**

Keiko Fujiwara

**鋼の錬金術****師**

'Edward…' Winry thought as she looked one last time towards the dirt road before heading inside to attend to her morning chores. 'It's been five months…Ed said they'd visit before the summer was over…Why the hell aren't they here yet?!' She thought as she cleaned up her workstation and brought the tools into her room.

'It's my day off…well until Ed shows up anyway…I'll put them under my bed for the remainder of the day so I won't be tempted to work.'

She stretched and yawned, thinking, 'Gosh! I hate all-nighters! Maybe I'll just take a shower and then a nice, long nap.'

Winry smiled at the thought. Even though she loved being covered in oil after a long night's work, she just could not resist a hot shower when given the opportunity.

After cleaning up, she dressed into her jean-shorts and her usual black tube top before slipping into the covers of her bed. 'Ahhh….it's so nice to sleep rather than work on automail all day for a change. I hope Gran—'

"Winry!" Pinako called from the kitchen.

'Dang…spoke too soon…' she thought as she slid into her slippers and went down the stairs. "Yes?"

"I'm heading out to town to gather some supplies. I should be back by noon. If any of my customers come, just tell them to come back by then."

"Alright. Will do." She sighed. 'Guess I'll have to read or something instead.'

"Thanks. If there are any complications, call Finn's Gears and Galore and request for me. The number is on the counter." Pinako replied before shutting the door behind her.

Winry ran up to her room and grabbed her wrench and said, "If there are complications, I'll use this rather than call Love-Struck Finn. Though, I can't argue the fact that he has such wonderful taste!" she giggled as she looked at herself in the mirror. "I mean any guy would have to be an idiot not to fall in love with such a talented, beautiful mechanic like myself."

Suddenly Ed's face popped into her mind and she clenched her fist. 'Grrrrrr….Why do I always have to be right?!' She thought as she sat down on the chair in front of her balcony door-window.

Winry leaned her head back and covered her face with her hands in aggravation. 'Why the heck did I have to fall for someone who's completely idiotic, emotionally stiff and height-impaired? I'm sure there are other guys out there so much cooler than Ed!'

Then again, Winry didn't care if there were cooler guys out there. In fact, she could care less what other guys thought about her. Some have called her a slut and others are completely smitten. The guys who called her a slut were lowlifes and the guys who were smitten only admired from afar.

'Why are all guys boring except for Ed? I mean he joined the military out of need rather than want. He gets to travel to the most wonderful of places and despite the fact that he never writes or calls; he still takes the time out of his journeys to visit Granny and I. I mean, what other guy would I find who would actually spare the time to come for a visit? Then again, all the times Ed and Al did come, it was for Ed's automail. But still! He at least makes my job more interesting than the rest of my customers.'

Though she was extremely tired, she continued to stare from her window to see if one particular costumer was walking down the dirt road. She kept watching for nearly two hours. Suddenly, she jumped up, threw her wrench across the room and screamed, "WHY THE HELL AREN'T THEY HERE YET!?" Not caring where the wrench landed, she looked at the clock. 'ONLY 9 AM?!'

Without further ado, she rushed down the stairs and decided to do the only thing she could to keep her mind off of waiting. She started to clean.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" she practically sang as she ran for the door. Quickly, she straightened up her clothing and ran her fingers through her hair before opening the door.

"Hi E—Oh. Hello Mr. Ackerman..." Winry asked with a tint of disappointment.

"Is your grandmother home?"

"No…Sorry…She said she'll be back around noon. Is it something that needs immediate attention?" She asked while examining his automail arm.

"No…I am just here for my tri-monthly check-up. I can come back later. That's not a problem." He smiled with kindness.

"Great. I'll be sure to let Granny know that you've stopped by. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Winry replied. 'He's such a nice, elderly man.'

"Well, I have a dental appointment at noon so I will stop by after then. Give your grandmother my regards." He said before turning around to go home.

"I wish all my customers were like him." She muttered, thinking of a certain State Alchemist as she closed the door.

'Gosh…What to do now?' she asked herself. 'It is too late to make an Apple Pie. Plus, I don't have all of the ingredients.'

Winry walked into the family room and saw Den lying on the floor. 'There's an idea!'

She laid down next to her lazy dog and wrapped her arms around him. "Hi Den! Guess who's coming later today!?" She asked, expecting no reply.

"You don't know?!" she pretended to be surprised.

Den simply stared at her with confusion. His face was tilted slightly with sat lazily upon his head.

"Why it's Ed and Al, Silly!" she laughed as she hugged her dog tighter.

Den's ears perked at the sound of those to names. Whenever Winry said those two particular names to him, he noticed his master (mistress?) fill with utter joy and happiness. A certain type of elation he could never give Winry even if he tried. This feeling she seemed to express was filled with a human emotion he would never understand. He understood the type of affection she attended to him and to her grandmother, but a different type of affection shined from her anytime she either spoke of or communicated with Ed and Al. Especially the human he has come to know as Ed.

Winry gave Den a small kiss between his eyes and scratched behind his ears. "If only Ed could showed me half the appreciation you do, Den." She sighed. "You're such a good dog. Don't ever change!"

Den simply looked towards the ceiling, knowing Winry was going to start showing her tear-streaming, emotional side. "Oh Den! You're the only one I can count on to never leave me in times of need!"

Den licked Winry's cheek to show his appreciation. Winry smiled and wiped her eyes before any tears would fall down her face. "Thanks, Den. I needed that." She gave him one last hug and a kiss on the head before standing back up. "Now if there are any customers, you stay in here. I don't want any of them complaining to Animal Control about any dog attacks from the Rockbell house. Got that?" Winry stated, knowing that Den loved to snarl at the not-so-nice customers.

Winry looked at the clock again. "What the heck!? Why does time seem to be going so dang slow today?! It's only 11 AM! What in the world am I going to do for a freakin' hour?!"

As if cued, the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" Winry stated. 'I really hope it is them this time!'

She looked through the peephole to avoid any verbal mistakes and, once again, she was disappointed. 'Only Mr. Amsel…Gosh! I hate that man! He's so rude with Granny. I don't see why she still tends to him. If it were me, I would tell him to find another automail mechanic who'd be willing to deal with his foul manner.'

She hesitantly opened the door and decided to grin and bear it.

"Why hello Mr. Amsel! I'm sorry but you will have to wait until my grandmother comes home. She'll be back around noon." Winry stated bluntly, hoping to avoid any confrontation.

"What!? I need this fixed now!" he said.

"I'm sure you do. Listen, it's only an hour wait so just go drive up to the local ice cream shop and buy some. Okay? I'm sure if you can walk from your car to the house, you can walk back without any problems."

"How rude! Either I get my automail fixed right now or I'm suing for resisting maintenance!" he shouted.

'Why do I even bother…?' "Look, I'm sorry that you came at the wrong time but I don't know exactly what my grandmother's prognosis is for your leg and do not want to mess anything up that could damage it any further. Just come back in an hour, okay?"

"I hear you're a talented mechanic! I'm sure you can figure out the damage and fix it! I've got somewhere to be at noon so either you fix it now or I'll sue!" he threatened as he grabbed both of Winry's upper arms and squeezed them as hard as possible. She winced at the pain the pressure of his firm grip was giving her and finally sighed. 'Damn…Why did I leave my wrench up in my room?!' "Fine…Follow me…"

He released Winry's arms and she headed for the stairs. 'I'll get my wrench and I'll knock him out cold if he ever tries to touch me again!'

"Stubborn Brat!" he muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

"You know, if you want to insult someone, it's more effective if said unheard by the person you're insulting." Winry plainly said without looking. 'I can't believe how rude he is!'

Winry led him to the workshop and said, "You wait here. I've gotta get my tools from my room."

As Winry left the room, Mr. Amsel smirked evilly. 'Maybe I should teach her a lesson…'

Winry looked into her mirror and noticed the dark bruises forming on her forearms. 'He actually bruised me! Why th—'

Suddenly, she saw Mr. Amsel's reflection in the mirror. Her stomach started to feel queasy from the look in his eyes…a look of twisted hunger.

"I thought I told you to stay in the workshop! No costumers are allowed in this room!" 'Except for Ed!'

"You said "Wait here." You didn't specify where 'here' was." He said, still grinning with that menacing look.

Winry's eyes scanned the room for her wrench and found it on the opposite side of her current location. 'Damn…'

He took a step forward.

She took one backward.

"Now, now. Don't be shy, Miss Winry. I don't bite."

'Yeah, my butt!' she thought as she tried to find any way of escaping his path.

"S-Stay away from me!" she shouted with a warning tone.

"Or what? You'll scream? No one will be able to hear you!" he smirked as he advanced towards her at full speed.

"NO!" she screamed as she instinctively dodged his attempt in grabbing her against her will. She lunged towards the door but he immediately turned around and throwing her onto the bed.

_**NOTE: THIS IS THE POINT WHERE YOU MAY WANT TO SCROLL DOWN IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ THIS SOMEWHAT EXPLICIT SECTION!**_

Before she could try to move off the bed, he forced himself on top of her.

"Please don't!" she begged as he slipped his thumbs inside the thin cloth of her tube top. As he listened to her pleas for mercy, he ignored them and hastily removed her top and tossed it somewhere on the floor.

Winry immediately wrapped her arms around her chest, praying that he didn't see anything.

"Oh so you want to play that game, eh?" he laughed as he stood up for a split second to remove her other clothing. "I'll have you know, you brought this upon yourself! You don't know how long I've waited for this opportunity, Miss Winry. Normally, I'm usually slow in my practices but the moment I saw you, my slow desires changed into barbaric ones." He confessed he stripped off her panties.

Winry snapped her legs shut and used one of her hands to cover her private area. She had made a vow that she'd only allow one person to ever love her body, mind and soul if he was ever willing. 'Ed….' She thought as Mr. Amsel tried to pry her legs apart.

"If you're not willing to cooperate, I'll just torture you until I hear you scream." He smiled as he pulled out a switchblade and flipped it open just before pressing it against her shoulder.

"Now, I want to hear you scream." He smirked as he applied pressure and carefully pressed down, cutting her pale skin.

Winry did not give in.

"No? Not good enough?" he asked before starting to frivolously slash her skin anywhere the blade would strike. He didn't care where the blade sliced her skin. He only gained pleasure as he felt the blade make contact with her skin. Yet, Winry did not scream a single sound.

"I was right. You are a stubborn wench!" he stated as he stood up for a moment to turn around and unbuckle his pants.

Winry quickly slid off the bed and grabbed her wrench. As he was still turned around, she hurled the tool towards his head but, instead, it only struck his shoulder. Still, it caused him to shout in pain.

As she ran for the door, he outran her and slammed the door shut, locking it from any other disturbances. "NOW YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT!" he screamed as he forcefully pinned her on her bed by slamming her on her back, facing him and grabbing her legs to avoid from having her trying to escape. He then managed to pry her legs open. "My, my, my. Look what we have here."

'Please! I pray to any god out there to help me! Please!' Winry mentally cried as Mr. Amsel rubbed her lower region with his male appendage. She could hear Den barking outside her door, knowing he was trying to help her. Suddenly, Mr. Amsel slowly placed his manhood inside her opening and slid it only far enough to hear her whimper in desperation. He then slid out said out loud, "No…I think I should do something far more painful than simple sexual pleasure…"

As Winry cried for help, he centered his manhood against her anal opening and, with great force, plunged inside, causing Winry the most horrible pain she's ever felt in her life. The only word that escaped her lips as she prayed for a savior was Ed's name.

He continued violating her in every way, stealing everything she was saving for Edward. "I'm going to break your spirit, Winry Rockbell."

Knowing it was almost noon; he removed himself from her and said, "Since my time is short, I'll simply appease my pleasures by merely touching you."

It came to the point where Winry felt nothing. Everything inside her ran dry and no matter how much she mentally screamed and prayed for someone to help her, she couldn't move. Suddenly, he started punching her in several places including her stomach, her arms, and her lower abdomen and she simply took the hits.

_**PLEASE RESUME HERE!**_

Suddenly, a voice above Den's barking shouted through the door. "Winry! Are you alright in there?!"

'Granny!' she mentally screamed, knowing her grandmother was profound in lock picking. 'I'm saved!'

Immediately after Winry heard her grandmother shout, the door was forced open and Den ran in, biting Mr. Amsel's flesh leg.

As he was writhing in pain, Winry still couldn't move. She wanted to run towards her grandmother, but felt ashamed of her nakedness. Her pride was broken and nothing, she was sure, would ever mend it again.

"MR. AMSEL! WHAT ON EARTH!? I ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU WERE A RUDE, CONCEITED MAN BUT NEVER DID I THINK YOU'D STOOP THIS LOW AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A YOUNG, TEENAGE WOMAN!" Pinako shouted, allowing Den to continue biting his leg.

Suddenly Pinako removed Mr. Amsel's automail leg and said, "Den! Drag him down the stairs and keep him preoccupied! I'm gonna call the cops!"

"Give me back my leg!" he demanded.

"YOU ARE NOT A CUSTOMER OF MINE FROM THIS SECOND FORWARD! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THE ROCKBELL AUTOMAIL SHOP AND I WILL NOT HAVE MY AUTOMAIL BEING LUGGED AROUND BY THE HEINOUS LIKES OF YOU! I HOPE YOU ROT IN JAIL BEFORE YOU'RE RELEASED!" Pinako spat as Den pulled Mr. Amsel down the steps as carelessly as possible without letting go of his leg.

Pinako walked over to Winry's closet, grabbed her bathrobe and handed it to her with a pitied look on her face. "I'm sorry, Winry. If I knew what he was really like—"

Winry finally said with a hoarse voice, "No, Granny. It was my fault for trusting him to come upstairs to the workshop. I should have just slammed the door to his face and let him sue. I was the foolish one for giving in to his demanding personality."

"I know you wouldn't have let this happen by choice. By the looks of the trashiness of this room, I can tell you fought for as long as possible." Pinako weakly smiled, hoping to ease the tension. "Why don't you go and clean up. I'll call the cops and ensure he gets dragged away before I come up here and clean your room for you."

"You don't have to, Granny. I'll clean it." She stated without any spirit.

"Nonsense. You just take a shower and I'll handle the rest. Afterwards, just hang out in the spare room until I say so. Ok?"

She didn't reply. She only sniffed, trying to stay strong. She couldn't let something like this affect her. She couldn't! Especially since Ed and Al were coming soon. She needed to be strong for them because she promised Ed she wouldn't cry until he and Al come home, fully restored. It would destroy Ed if he ever found out about it.

"Oh…and Granny?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell Ed and Al…I don't want them to know. I won't be coming down for dinner tonight. Just eat without me and tell them I'm sick. Okay?" Winry said, lip starting to tremble.

"No worries. I will." Her grandmother smiled before leaving Winry to her thoughts.

As Winry took a shower, she could hear her grandmother's shouts and insults flying towards Mr. Amsel as the cops showed up.

She knew that he would have a court trial. She knew she would have to confess, eventually. But not now, and, at that particular moment, that's all she really cared about.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

The only time Pinako allowed Winry back into her room before she was finished cleaning was for Winry to grab a change of clothes. Winry walked to the guest room and slipped off her bathrobe as she stared at her swollen, bruised body in the mirror. After pulling up her panties and, for the first time in a long time, fastening a bra around her chest, she slipped into a long pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

She didn't want anyone, especially Ed and Al, to know what had happened earlier. She would hide it for as long as she possibly could.

Suddenly, her grandmother knocked and gave her the okay to return to her room. Winry quietly returned to her room, closed the door, locked it and wrapped herself in her blankets and simply stared at the wall.

About five hours later, she heard her grandmother greet Ed and Al. Normally Den would run up to Edward and jump on top of him but not today. After Pinako released Den from his duty, he came up the stairs and hopped onto the bed while he waited for Winry to return. Not once has he left her side and she was extremely grateful for it. She needed someone to hug and Den was willing.

**(DOWNSTAIRS WITH PINAKO, AL AND ED)**

"Well hello Ed! Al! It's about time you two showed up!" Pinako said.

"At least we're here, ya half-pint!" Ed stated as he walked in without invitation.

"Brother! I thought you said you would be nice!" Al reprimanded.

"I guess I had a change of heart." Ed said monotonously.

"It's alright, Al. I'll let the shorty get away with it this time." Pinako smiled.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT H—"

"SAVE IT ED!" Alphonse shouted, not wanting to hear another one of his 'short' rants.

"Come now, supper will get cold." Pinako said as she led them to the table.

"Alright! Stew!" Ed fist-pumped. "It's about damn time I get something actually taste-worthy for a meal!"

"Pipe down, pipsqueak. Like I said, your dinner is getting cold." Pinako stated. Al gave Ed a glare before he could rant on about his height denial.

"So, Granny, where's Winry?" Al asked, noticing the fourth chair was empty.

Pinako stiffened for a split second and then replied, "She's upstairs resting. She wasn't feeling well and told me to go ahead with dinner."

"That's odd. It's normally not like Winry to miss a meal." Ed replied. 'She must be pretty sick.'

"No worries. I'm sure she'll be well in due time." Pinako stated.

As Al told Pinako about all of their recent adventures, Ed didn't feel right about sharing any without Winry. She was always interested in their affairs. 'I'll tell her later I guess.'

"Ed, you're awfully quiet…Is your automail bothering you?" Pinako asked as she picked up the empty bowls.

"No…It just needs a tune-up. I'm just thinking that's all." Ed replied.

"Alright, well, I'm going to finish cleaning up the dishes. Go take a walk or something to pass the time."

Al thought taking a walk was a splendid idea. Ed, not so much. He just grabbed whatever 'interesting' book he could find from the bookcase and began reading—or at least pretend to be reading. 'I wonder how Winry got sick. I mean, she's usually pretty healthy and I don't think she's ever caught the common cold.' Then he lightly chuckled, remembering how he used to think Winry's blood, due to her constant healthiness, was the solution to many unknown elixirs just waiting to be discovered.

'That's got to be it…She's just caught herself a common cold. I mean, if it were serious, Granny would have said so, right?'

Ed was so wrapped up in his thoughts; he didn't realize how much time had passed.

He looked at the clock and saw Al blatantly staring at him.

"What?" Ed asked.

"What do you mean what? You've been thinking again, Brother! For almost four hours! That's not healthy!" Al stated.

"I can think if I want, Al. Besides, I never stop you when you think, do I?" Ed asked.

"Brother…I'm stuck in an armored suit…You wouldn't know if I was thinking even if you tried!"

"Well—that's beside the point!" Ed stated in defense.

"Whatever…I'm going to go to bed…I mean sleep…You know what I mean." Al said before going up the stairs.

'Has it really been four hours? Damn…time sure flies fast.' He thought before he caught sight of Winry making her way down the stairs.

"Oh. Hi." Ed said lowly.

Not noticing Ed at first, Winry jumped from his voice. 'I could have sworn no one was down stairs!'

"Hi…" she awkwardly replied.

"H-how are you feeling? Granny said you were not well." Ed asked.

"Oh. I'm still not feeling too well. I just came down to eat something. I'm a little hungry." Winry bashfully replied.

"Right! Granny thought you would come down later in the night, so she placed your dinner in the oven to keep warm. Though, I doubt it still has any warmth left." He said as he stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

"You don't have to do that!" Winry stated. "I can get my own food!"

"Winry, you shouldn't exert yourself! You're not feeling well so just sit down and let me get your food. I don't mind." Ed said, more worried than steamed like his usual attitude.

"O-okay…" Winry softly replied as she pulled a chair out from the table. She silently whimpered as she sat down, still pained from earlier.

"Are you alright!?" Ed asked when he heard her wince.

"Yeah…just my muscles are sore from lying down all day." She lied.

"Oh…yeah, that makes sense." He said as he placed the bowl in front of her. "Hang on…it's not warm yet." He said before pulling the bowl in front of him. He then clapped his hands together and, after a little electrical light show, the stew emitted a nice, warm steam. "Now, try it."

Winry slowly slipped the spoon into her mouth. She didn't want to have any reason to whimper from any pain.

"It's fine." Winry stated, submissively.

"Good." Ed smiled triumphantly.

Ed took a seat next to her; just staring at her while she ate.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Winry asked in annoyance.

"Oh…Um…Sorry…" he couldn't find the words to talk. Suddenly, he noticed something he's never seen Winry wear before. In fact, he noticed her entire apparel was so un-Winry-like. "What's with the sweatshirt and the jeans?"

"Why d'you ask?"

"I don't know…Just never seen you wear clothes like that. Especially during the summer." Ed stated.

"A person can change, y'know." She replied monotonously.

"I guess you're right…" he replied. 'Maybe it's the cold…'

Ed continued to watch Winry silently eat her stew before she placed the dirty dish and spoon in the sink and started to make her leave.

"Winry, what's going on?" Ed asked.

"What d'you mean?"

"You know damn well what I mean! Missing dinner is totally unlike you! So is wearing non-revealing clothes! Not that I'm saying modesty is a bad thing but it is just not you!"

"So? I was feeling unwell! I am perfectly capable of missing a dinner and dressing modestly when I feel sick!" she replied in defense. "Now just leave me alone!"

Ed was expecting the wrench but when she just turned around and walked away, he grabbed her wrist. Why? He hadn't a clue. He just did.

'Okay, something's off.' He thought. 'Winry normally didn't mind it when I actually touched her either on the arm or shoulder…I could have sworn I felt her flinch under my touch…'

"Let go, Edward." Winry said.

"No." Ed replied. "Not until you tell me what's going on!"

"If you know what's good for you, let go of my arm right now!" Winry threatened.

"No." he replied. With his other hand, his metal hand, he placed it on her shoulder. Again, she flinched at his touch.

"Please, Ed! It's been a long day and I want to sleep! Just let me go upstairs and into my room! Please!" she begged with threatening tears in her eyes.

Ed couldn't stand to be the one forcing those tears to fall. He lifted his hand from her shoulder and for a moment, he slid his hand from her arm to her hand, and caressed it. "Okay…I'll let you go to bed…Just know that I'm always here if you need to talk."

Winry whipped around and said, "That's just it, Ed! You aren't here!"

Ed stiffened. He knew she was right.

"You're never here to talk to! Even when you're gone, you don't call or write! You're never here when I need you most! When I need a shoulder to cry on!" she then fell to her knees and started whaling.

Ed's expression changed into sympathy and tried to console her by gently wrapping his arms around her. Again, she flinched but she then leaned into his embrace, needing human contact—his contact.

Ed decided it was best not to ask about whatever is bothering her. Instead, he just held her, hoping that when she's ready, she'll tell him.

'Damn…I'm such a lousy person! I can't even stop the one person I care for the most besides Al from crying. I caused her to break her promise! Our promise!' he thought. Ed then picked her up, carried her up the stairs and placed her on her bed. Not wanting to invade her privacy, he simply slipped her under her covers where Den was still sleeping on top of and sat next to her. He patted her on the head gently and said, "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm not here at the times you need me. I'm a lousy person for not writing and not calling. I promise that once Al and I start traveling again, I'll be better at calling. I don't write because I never know my location and if you were to write a letter to me, it may not ever reach me. But I'll call. Every once in a while I'll call. And Al and I will visit as much as possible; not just for maintenance. I promise." Ed said sadly. He hated how he made Winry feel like this.

Ed started to walk away but Winry called out his name. "Ed….please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone!"

Ed sighed. 'She's just as stubborn as me sometimes. But I'll give in just this once.'

Ed slipped in beside Winry under the covers and wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled close to him and whispered, "Don't leave me. Please," before falling to sleep from exhaustion.

For hours, he stared at the wall, afraid that if he fell asleep, he may do something he'd regret. But, eventually, his body drifted into a nonchalant sleep, never leaving Winry's side.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Ed slowly opened his eyes to find him and Winry in an awkward, yet comfortable position. He must have pulled Winry up closer to his abdomen because her upper half was lying on top of him while her fingers were entwined with his. His first response was to make sure they were still clothed and to his comfort, they were. 'I have to admit, I haven't had a decent night's sleep since last night.' He thought as Winry shuffled a little but then relaxed. 'Should I sneak out of here and into my actual room? I mean, if Granny finds us, she's gonna snip my balls off even if we're clothed! Yeah, I think I should sneak out. It's for the best.' He thought as he carefully slipped from Winry's touch. He pulled the blankets back over her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before making his grand exit.

Luckily, he made it back in time before Pinako woke up. 'I just hope A—'

"Brother? Did you just get into bed?" Al asked.

'Damn…Spoke too soon.' "Nah…I had to make a quick stop to the bathroom."

"Then why are you still dressed in yesterday's clothes?" Al asked.

"I was too lazy to change so I just slept like this! Okay?!" Ed shouted in defense. 'Well, it is true for the most part.'

Al decided to forget about it and let his brother sleep in some more.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry was hoping to wake up and find Ed still next to her but to her dismay; he had already made an escape. 'He didn't stay…'

Winry slipped out of the bed and brushed her hair. She didn't feel like taking a shower or cleaning up. She just wanted to go on with the day as if nothing had happened. She went downstairs to find her grandmother, Al and Ed waiting to eat. Ed stood up for no apparent reason as she came into the kitchen and sat down when she did.

'How are you feeling, Winry?" Alphonse asked.

"Fine." She muttered, almost incoherently.

"Darling, were you able to stomach the food I left out for you?" Pinako asked as she placed a plate of eggs, bacon and a biscuit in front of Winry.

"Yeah…Thanks." Again, almost inaudible.

For most of the day, Winry stayed up in her room. She didn't feel like interacting with anyone at the moment. The only one who remained loyal to her was Den. He practically followed her wherever she went. 'If only Ed was as loyal as you, Den…' she thought as she hugged him for comfort. Den licked her cheek before nuzzling his nose against her neck.

Around noon, she heard a slight knock on the door.

She didn't bother answering. If it was important, they would just walk in eventually. She just laid with Den as she stared at the wall.

"Winry! I'm coming in!" Ed warned as he opened the door. He saw Winry lying on the floor, practically lifeless. 'What's goin on with her? Where's her usual sassiness?'

Ed sighed and placed the plate he was carrying on her bedside table. "Hey Win, do you mind taking a look at my automail? I feel like my arm's socket out of place and I think I've grown a few inches." He thought the talk of automail would cheer her up.

Winry sat up and softly spoke, "Sure."

She bent under her bed and pulled out her toolbox. She then walked into the workshop and Ed followed.

As usual, Ed stripped to his boxers and Winry took a look at his limbs, but this time, she didn't talk or show any appreciation towards her creation.

"You're right. The bolt in your shoulder which stabilized the arm movement has gone missing. Also, your plate is damaged. You're lucky you came home when you did. Any more reckless fighting and your arm could have malfunctioned. Luckily, I remodeled your automail with a better metal. It's more durable and can withstand any type of weather. I'll get it as soon as I finish looking at your leg." She replied. "I'm gonna disconnect the nerves for your arm, now." She warned.

Ed stiffened as he felt the metal limb disconnect from his shoulder. 'Why isn't she wearing her work getup? She hates working in long pants and long sleeves.'

She then compared his flesh leg to his automail one. "Yeah, you've also grown about two inches. Congrats."

She disconnected his leg without warning and said, "Let me get your new arm and leg."

She turned around and opened up a cabinet. "Luckily for you, I estimated that you would grow two inches so you won't have to wait three days for new limbs. You can leave when you want."

She pulled out the limbs and compared the lengths to the old ones. "Yeah…They should be the right measurements." Winry then said, "Do you want me to get Granny so we can connect the nerves at the same time?"

"Nah…I'll live." Ed replied, not sure if he made the right decision.

Winry connected his leg and then his arm as fast as she possibly could while Ed jerked from the tingling pain. "Jeesh…Why does it gotta hurt every time the nerves connect?" he asked.

"Think of it as banging your funny bone. It isn't a great feeling." Winry replied. "There. You're good to go."

"Thanks..." Ed smiled as he stood up and tested the movement of his new limbs. "They work like a charm!"

"Good." She replied before turning around to leave.

"I think I'll spar some with Al. Wanna watch?" Ed asked.

"Nah….You go ahead…I'm gonna go for a walk." Winry replied as she walked back to her room to slip on some tennis shoes.

"Oh. Okay." Ed replied.

Winry walked down the steps and Den followed. He wasn't going to let his mistress out of his sight, no matter the cost.

Ed started to follow but Pinako stopped him. "Ed, leave her be. She needs time alone right now."

"She's been cooped up in her room almost all day! Don't you think she's had enough 'alone' time? I mean, come on! Whenever we visit, she never leaves our sight!" Ed stated.

"Ed, just trust me. Don't follow her unless you have a very good reason to do so. She'll be back. I promise." Pinako replied before leaving to puff on her pipe.

Al found Ed and said, "Hey, did Winry fix your limbs?"

"Yeah…She actually replaced them. You want to spar? We can test them out."

"Sure." Al smiled, excited to actually engage in some much needed combat.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry walked over to the nearby pond and sat on the dock with her feet hanging below her. She really wanted to take a swim but was still too sore from the day before. Den, on the other hand, wasted no time in jumping in.

Winry leaned back and stared at the clouds in the sky. No matter where she looked off to in a distance, Ed was always on her mind. Two promises were broken yesterday. One she had made with Ed and one she had made for Ed. Never will those promises ever be fulfilled.

For quite a while, she simply stared at the vast, blue sky as Den continually splashed within the pond. 'At least one of us is having fun…'

Suddenly, Ed came running towards her, calling her name. He seemed excited.

Winry stood up and pulled her feet out of the water. She unrolled her jeans to hide the bruises and cuts and slipped her shoes back on.

Ed kept running towards her. 'Isn't he going to stop? Why does he sound all excited?'

As he approached her, he stopped before he could collide into her.

"What's so exciting, Ed?" Winry asked, monotonous.

"Guess what!"

"What?"

"Because of your marvelous job on my automail, I was finally able to beat Al in sparring! Thank you!" he smiled widely as he gave her a great, big hug.

The pressure of his arms against her cuts and bruises caused a painful cry to echo from her lips.

"Winry? Are you okay?" Ed asked with worry as he immediately unwrapped his arms from her. "Did I hurt you? I didn't mean to squeeze so hard!"

"N-no…it wasn't you." She replied as she turned away from him to sit back down on the dock.

Before she could walk any further, Ed noticed her wrench in her back pocket and he reached for it. He pulled it out, causing her to turn around.

"Give my wrench back to me, Ed!" she demanded.

"Nah…You don't need it in a peaceful place like this!" Ed replied.

"Give it back!" she glared at him.

"Don't think I wanna." Ed replied as he chucked the wrench somewhere off in the distance, away from the water.

Winry rushed past him to fetch it but she forgot to step down off the dock and tripped, ripping her jeans slightly above her left knee.

'Damn!' Ed cursed as he rushed to help her up. 'I didn't mean for her to fall!'

But something stopped Ed. He peered through the jean-hole and noticed various cuts traveling up her leg. As she tried to stand up, she fell again, this time, in more pain than ever.

"Winry!" Ed exclaimed, worried. He shook away whatever he saw from his mind and rushed to her.

Ed helped her stand properly. Luckily, she didn't break a bone but she did sprain her ankle. "Maybe we should let Granny take a look."

"No. I'm fine." She lied. "I'll just sit on the dock." Winry hobbled towards the end of the dock and carefully removed her shoes, hoping Ed wasn't looking.

She slipped her feet into the water and just stared at the trees surrounding the back of the pond. "Winry, why do you continue to lie to my face?! You've never lied to me before!"

"A person changes, that's why!" Winry replied dryly.

Suddenly Ed found her wrench and hurled it into the pond.

Winry's eyes widened when she saw him chuck it into the pond. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" She screamed.

Den stopped at his splashing and snapped his head towards her.

"I'M TRYING TO KNOCK SOME DAMN SENSE INTO YOU! YOU'RE ACTING LIKE A LIFELESS ROBOT!"

"THAT GIVES YOU NO RIGHT TO THROW MY WRENCH INTO THE POND! I'LL NEVER FIND IT!"

"THEY'RE EASILY REPLACEABLE! I'LL GET YOU A NEW ONE BEFORE I LEAVE! NOW STOP SULKING AROUND AND TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

"YOU DON'T GET IT! THAT WRENCH WAS THE ONE YOU GAVE ME!" Winry shouted as she limped towards him.

"SO?! LIKE I SAID, DAMMIT, I BUY YOU A FRICKIN NEW ONE!" Ed screamed even though she was right in front of him.

"DID YOU EVER STOP AND THINK THAT MAYBE THE WRENCH HAD SENTIMENTAL VALUE?! YOU GAVE IT TO ME BEFORE YOU LEFT FOR THE MILITARY, ED! DON'T YOU REMEMBER!? I VOWED TO NEVER USE ANOTHER WRENCH FOR AS LONG AS YOU WERE IN THE MILITARY! DID YOU EVER STOP AND THINK?! DID YOU!?" Winry shouted as tears threaten to spill from her eyes.

"IT'S JUST A WRENCH! I'LL BUY YOU A NEW ONE! NO BIG DEAL!" Ed replied. 'Honestly, I'll never understand this girl!'

"IT'S NOT JUST A WRENCH, DAMMIT, ED! IT'S THE ONLY TREASURE I HAD LEFT! YOU'RE SO CLUELESS, EDWARD! I HAD EVERYTHING I EVER TREASURED TAKEN AWAY FROM ME IN LESS THAN TWO DAYS! EVERY PROMISE I MADE WITH YOU AND FOR YOU ARE FOREVER BROKEN AND CAN NEVER BE REPLACED!" she screamed as she pounded on his chest.

Ed was shocked. He didn't understand everything she meant but could only conclude to one thing—he caused this. "Winry…." He solemnly spoke as he gently wrapped his arms around her, avoiding in adding any pressure.

'What promises are she talking about?' he thought, but would ponder it later if needed.

"I'm sorry Ed! I'm so sorry!" she apologized even though he still hadn't a clue to why she was sorry.

Suddenly, Ed released her and stood up as he took off his shoes, shirt and shorts.

"What are you doing?" Winry asked.

"I'm going to find your wrench! I can't stand it when you're mad at me! If it was a treasure of yours, I'll find it! I'll find every treasure you own! I promise!" he stated, not knowing what exact treasures she's lost.

Ed jumped into the water and started to dive to search for it. 'It's gotta be around here! There's only so many places that damn wrench could go!' First round, he didn't find it. Second, third, fourth and fifth weren't lucky either. Finally, he decided to use alchemy to clear up the mud in the water. Suddenly, he saw the wrench resting underneath him. He took a deep breath and dove downward, fetching the blasted metal weapon. 'I just have to remember that this is for Winry.'

He grabbed it and kicked himself up towards the surface in desperation for air. He rested his head and arms on a rock and then, when he gathered the lost energy, he waved the wrench in the air, shouting, "FOUND IT!"

Winry limped over to him and took the wrench from his hands only to strike his head with it as he hopped out of the water.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?"

"FOR BEING A COMPLETE IDIOT!" she screamed before limping back towards the Rockbell house. Ed's anger simmered down when he realized that this was the Winry he's used to knowing. 'I wonder how long that'll last before she's lost her shine again.'

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Dinner was more pleasant since, this time, Winry decided to eat with everyone. She still didn't talk much and as the night continued; her spirit she had gained by the pond was almost gone. Her candle was almost burnt out.

Just as everyone besides Ed and Winry went upstairs for the night, Ed stepped into the kitchen to make a call.

"Hello?" the familiar, unpleasant voice answered.

"Hey. It's me. I won't be doing any duties for a few weeks…Maybe a month…Something's come up and I need to be home for a while."

Recognizing that annoying tone of a voice anywhere, Mustang replied, "Is anything wrong?"

"Nothing the military needs to know about. Well, don't expect another call until at least a month." Ed replied, ending with a click.

He made his way back to the family room and heard Winry say, "You don't have to do that, you know. You have duties. You shouldn't use me as an excuse to negate your responsibilities."

"I thought you'd be thrilled to find out I plan on staying longer than usual."

"People come and go. What d'ya expect?" she replied with that same dried tone as earlier.

Ed took a seat next to her and gave her a sincere look.

"What?!" she snapped, not liking the fact that he's staring at her.

"Winry…" he whispered as he placed his flesh hand on top of hers. "What did you mean, earlier? About the promises? You said all of them were broken? What did you mean by that?"

Winry avoided the question by turning away from him. "Nothing."

"Come on, Winry! I thought we were making some progress earlier!" Ed stated, wanting to squeeze her hand but decided not to.

"I'm not your psychology patient, Ed!" she replied.

"I'm not asking you to be! All I want are answers! Remember? We promised we wouldn't hide anything from one another!"

Winry froze. He was right. She remembered that they made that promise ten or so months back, after he tried desperately to keep her safe from the homunculi only to end up as a hostage.

Suddenly, she sighed and motioned him to follow her to her room. When they arrived, Winry stayed turned facing the opposite direction, saying, "Remember that phrase Granny used to say any time we fell and scratched ourselves?"

"Yeah….something like…The proof is in the scars." Ed stated as he tried to see what was going on but couldn't due to the dark.

"Yeah…the proof is in the scars…" she repeated as she slipped off her hoodie, pulled her legs out of her pants and took off her socks and shoes. "You can turn on the light if you want…"

Ed walked over, turned on a lamp and blushed as he saw Winry only wearing a bra and panties. Then eyes widened as he noticed the bruises and cuts all over her body.

"W-What happened?!" he demanded.

Winry didn't know how to answer. She was ashamed as well as embarrassed. "Well, like I said e-earlier….I had promises broken and treasures stolen from me…."

Suddenly, he put two and two together and froze. "Y-you were—"

Winry placed her fingers on his lips and nodded, hinting to him that she didn't want Al to hear.

"Why keep this from me!?" he asked as she removed her fingers.

"Because, Ed! You would blame yourself! You would blame yourself for not being there—for not showing up six hours sooner!" Winry replied with a crack in her voice.

"W-who was it?!" he asked, demanding a precise answer.

"H-he's locked up now. He's in jail." Winry replied.

"Who!?" he demanded again.

Winry couldn't tell him. She didn't have the nerves.

Ed clenched his fists. "Fine. Was he a traveler or a local?!"

"L-local." She whispered softly.

"A costumer?"

Winry nodded. "What difference does it make, Ed?! It happened! He's in jail! No matter whom it is, it isn't like you can do anything to change what he's done!"

"So!? I can still pound the bastard in the face! Who was he?!"

"It was Mr. Amsel." A voice said from the door.

"G-Granny! W-what are you doing up!?" Winry asked as she searched for her robe to cover herself. "I figured Ed would either put the pieces together or you would have decided to tell him. I also knew that you'd rather show him than tell him. That was always the easier route for you. Also, I heard Ed shouting so I came in here to see why.

"T-that grouchy D-Bag?!" Ed asked, shocked by Pinako's answer.

"Yes." Pinako answered plainly. "Look Ed, I don't mind you wanting to punch his face through to Xing but don't kill him. He should live and face what he deserves. No one deserves to die no matter the sin."

Pinako left and Ed turned back to Winry. "Howmph!"

Ed was caught off guard when Winry took a bold move and eagerly pressed her lips against his. This was the only present she could give to him purely. Her lips had remained untouched until this very moment and she wanted to ensure her lips were only touched by his.

Ed's eyes widened at her sudden actions. At first, his cheeks turned bright red but faded as Winry continued to interlock her lips with his. Ed knew he and Winry held a special bond but because of his travels, he didn't want to commit to anything which could delay his research. Yet, he couldn't deny how long he's yearned to feel the touch of her lips against his. He knew he wasn't experienced with women and just stood there like a lost puppy before he began to follow Winry's lead. He's sure she didn't have any experience either but he couldn't know that for sure.

Finally, Winry removed her lips from his and blushed when she realized what she actually did.

"S-sorry…" she stated. "It's just…I wanted to make sure you were my first kiss…If anything, my lips have remained untouched until now."

Edward stood there, still shocked. Then suddenly, he blushed and said, "Y-you don't have to apologize! I mean I'm honored that y-yo—" but before he could finish his scrambled thoughts, she kissed him again. This time, it was more innocent and shorter than the first.

"If you want to know what happened, I'll tell you…but not now. I don't think I'm ready yet." Winry whispered to him as she slipped into her bed.

He nodded, still shocked and stupidly waved as she uttered a good night to him. He walked back to his room, confused at everything which took place. He decided he'll ram his fist into Mr. Amsel another day…Tonight; he just needed to think….to sleep as well. 'Maybe a commitment could work after all…'

**鋼の錬金術****師**

_**KEIKO FUJIWARA: I'm going to end the first chapter here. I thought this would end to be shorter than what I have actually ended out typing so I'll probably make this a 2 Chapter Fanfiction due to the length of reading! **_


	2. Part II

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST IN ANYWAY! **

**Rated M for a specific section in Chapter 1**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Her Shine**

Keiko Fujiwara

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**RECAP: **

"_If you want to know what happened, I'll tell you…but not now. I don't think I'm ready yet." Winry whispered to him as she slipped into her bed. _

_He nodded, still shocked and stupidly waved as she uttered a good night to him. He walked back to his room, confused at everything which took place. He decided he'll ram his fist into Mr. Amsel another day…Tonight; he just needed to think….to sleep as well. 'Maybe a commitment could work after all…' _

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Ed! Wake up! Wake up, Ed!" Al spoke has he shook his brother deliberately.

"What gives Al?" Ed asked.

"I heard screaming coming from her bedroom!" Al exclaimed.

"What!? When!?" Ed asked as he pulled on a pair of boxers.

"About five min—"

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WAKING ME UP JUST NOW?!" Ed shouted.

"Don't yell at me, Brother! I tried waking you up! You just continued snoozing away! I saw Granny go in Winry's room so that's why I didn't dump you off your bed!" Al said in defense.

"Stay here!" Ed ordered.

If Winry was screaming because of nightmares, he didn't want Al to know of the source.

"Why!?"

"Because! I said to! I'm just gonna check on her, okay?! If I don't come back til the morning, it's because she wanted me to stay. Alright?"

"O-okay." Al replied, not daring to defy his seemingly pissed off brother.

Ed lightly knocked on her door and said, "Win…I'm coming in!"

He found Pinako sitting next to Winry with a saddened expression and heard Winry cry out, "It was horrible Granny! It felt so real!"

"Now, now. It was only a nightmare. Den hasn't left your side, Sweetie. If it weren't a nightmare, Den wouldn't have let him touch you!" Pinako replied.

Winry saw Ed standing there with a tint of sadness in his eyes. He couldn't bear to see her in this state and she couldn't bare him watching. She wiped her eyes dry and said, "I-I'm alright, Ed…Y-you can go back to sleep." Her voice cracked from her hoarseness.

Instead, Ed took a seat on the left side of her and stroked her back with his flesh hand. "Hey Granny…" he said, "Can I have some time with her? There's something I want to talk to her about."

"Alright. I'll leave you two be. I'm sure she could use your comfort right now, Ed." Pinako replied before kissing Winry on the forehead.

Ed didn't say a word until he heard the door click. "Hey…"

She leaned into him.

"Win—listen, when I told you that the next time I see you cry, it'll be tears of joy, I didn't mean for you to lock your tears and throw away the key. At times like this, it is necessary to cry because holding it all in isn't healthy. I know you feel bad about breaking that promise but don't. I would be worried if you didn't cry after what happened."

"Y-you would?"

"Yeah…So why don't we make a new promise. Just one between you and me."

Winry looked into his eyes, searching for any hope he could give her.

"What?" she whispered as she waited for his response.

Ed laced his flesh fingers with hers and said, "If I promise you I'm willing to one day make an equivalent exchange with you, will you promise me you'll wait for me?"

Winry wasn't sure what he was asking. "What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Winry, you and I have always had a very special bond. We've grown up together and faced hardships together. I know you want to be more involved with my life and my travels but I'm worried for your safety. There are monsters called Homunculi. Remember when you were held captive by Kimblee about ten months ago? Well, he was actually under the orders of those monsters. The reason I haven't told you any of this was because I didn't want to scare or worry you! I couldn't risk your safety. I can see that even when I'm trying to keep you away from danger, bad things can still happen.

"Al and I will get our normal bodies back. I promise for Al's sake. I, on the other hand, don't care whether or not I regain the limbs I've lost because I've grown a liking to this automail. I can't promise you when that day will be, though. I can just promise you that when we decide to make an Equivalent Exchange, I'll stay. I won't run off like my father did and I'll quit the military. I won't need it after Al regains his body. Will you promise me that you'll wait?"

Winry nodded as she leaned into him. "I promise…" she whispered as she held on to him for emotional support. Ed gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

As Ed was going to leave Winry to her thoughts, Winry suddenly spoke, "A-are you m-mad at me?"

Ed stopped dead in his tracks before turning around to face her with that same saddened expression. "No. How could I be?" he walked back to her and laid beside her. "Bad things happen, Winry. We both know that. Sometimes they're our fault and sometimes not. No one can ever blame you for what that bastard did. I could never blame you nor be mad at you. Don't think like that!"

Winry placed her left hand on Ed's chest and laid her head on top of his left shoulder. "I blame me." She said.

Ed turned his head to look at her and replied, "Winry…you shouldn't do that to yourself! It wasn't your fault! Did you put up a fight?!"

Winry nodded.

"Then stop blaming yourself! It wasn't your fault, no one blames you and you shouldn't either. I promise, I'll make sure this guy pays and is placed in jail for the rest of his life!"

Winry didn't respond. She was preoccupied by her fingers drawing imaginary circles against his chest.

"Now, let's get some shuteye. Alright? I promise, I'll still be here when you wake in the morning." Ed smiled before kissing her softly on the nose.

"Okay." She replied as she held him as close to her as possible. 'I love you, Ed.' her heart whispered before both the blonde teens fell asleep for the night.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry's eyes slowly drifted open as the early morning's sunrays beamed through her balcony window. She shifted slightly and smiled to see Ed still soundly sleeping within her arms. 'Oh how I wish we could wake up like this every morning…' she thought as she laid her head back down against his shoulder.

Suddenly, Ed heaved in a large breath and opened his eyes.

"Good morning." Winry smiled.

Ed stretched and smiled back at her and thought, 'I'm glad to see her smile. If waking up to see her smile is what it takes to bring back her shine, I'm willing to do it.'

Without thinking, he shifted to where he could wrap his arms around her shoulders from the back and laced his fingers with hers. She leaned against him and whispered, "I don't want morning to end."

Ed brought his lips to her ear and replied in a breathy tone, "Me neither…"

The warmth from his voice sent shivers down her spine as it tickled her ear. Winry leaned her head back and turned it slightly to capture his lips in hers. Ever since she's realized her feelings for him, she's yearned for a morning like this one where she'd wake up and plant a 'good morning!' kiss on his lips. Little did she know, he had yearned the same thing. Ed interlocked his lips with hers gently before tightening his hold on her.

Winry departed slowly and saw something in his eyes that she's never seen in any other boy—no—man before. Ed wanted her to know he respected her and never ever wanted her to feel like a piece of trash in his eyes. "Winry…." He whispered almost inaudibly. Winry closed her eyes so she could remember this very moment. She didn't know how many times she would ever wake up beside the man of her dreams and feel so much elation for just one moment in time.

She's heard from some of her few girl-friends how sex is the most pleasurable moment in a woman's life. She had to disagree. She didn't need sex to feel joyful in the morning. Simply waking up to the only person she'll ever truly share her life with was enough. At least, it was enough for now.

Winry slipped from the bed, never turning her gaze from his. She pulled out a drawer and found a long sleeved shirt and another pair of jeans. She slipped the shirt over her head and slid the jeans over her waist. She didn't care if Ed was practically watching her get dressed. In fact, she loved the thought of Ed finding the way she dressed as intriguing. Ed slithered from under the covers and said, "I guess I should go and get my clothes now. I'll come back once I'm dressed. Okay?"

"Actually…I really need to take a shower. I'll meet you downstairs instead." Winry replied.

"Okay. See you then."

Winry nodded and gave him an innocent kiss before slowly closing her door just to watch him walk backwards to his room. She grabbed a clean pair of panties and a clean bra. She walked to the bathroom and locked the door before stripping out of her clothes. She washed of all of the grime from the previous day after falling in the mud. She hadn't really been in high spirits to clean off the dirt but today, she felt differently and it was all due to the fact that she boldly took action and decided to kiss Ed the night before.

She smiled at the memory. 'If only I had the guts to tell you how I feel…' she thought as she turned off the water. She slowly dried herself off, not wanting a drop of water clinging to her body. She then redressed and combed out her hair. She decided for her hair to dry naturally.

She walked back to her room, slipped into tennis shoes and then met the other three downstairs for a lovely breakfast. 'Today's a new day.' She thought as she bit into her biscuit.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Hey Al, could you help me with some errands?" Pinako asked. "I have quite a bulk to buy and can't carry everything. Since I don't own a car, would you mind helping out an elderly woman?"

"No! Not at all! Just tell me what you need done, Granny! I mean, I'm not a large suit of armor for nothing!" Al stated.

Ed tensed at Al's last statement. 'How can he say that so lightly?'

"Ed, if you plan on going into town, I want Winry to go with you. Understood?" Pinako stated with seriousness. "She needs to get outside of the house."

"Sure…" Ed replied, not thinking it was a very good idea to take Winry with him to the county jail. 'I guess I'll have to do that later.' He sighed.

"Granny, can you pick up some supplies for me? I'm fresh out of cash." Winry asked.

"Don't bother Granny. I'll pick out what she needs. Besides, I still owe her for fixing up my automail." Ed stated.

"It's up to Winry." Pinako replied.

Winry smiled. "Sure."

"Cool…We'll leave shortly after Granny and Alphonse. Sound alright?"

"No arguments here." Winry replied. "I wanna go for a walk first, though. Care to join me Ed?"

"Why not." Ed answered as he stretched his limbs. Den looked at Winry, begging for Winry to take him. Winry placed a kiss on Den's forehead and said "Of course you can come, Den!"

Den wagged his tail and rubbed the side of his head against Winry's arm with approval.

The three left the house to venture towards the pond. Al and Pinako left shortly afterwards towards town.

Ed noticed Winry's solemn expression. "What's wrong, Win?"

Winry stopped in her tracks and spoke softly, "What if….what if he….What if he m-made me p-pregnant?"

Ed could understand her fear of possibly carrying a child who could constantly remind her of what happened. "It's too soon to know…We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Ed said.

"I just want to know one thing." Winry spoke.

"Hm?"

"I-if I a-am p-p-pregnant, w-would you still stay with m-me? I mean, if you won't I'd understand." Winry muttered with a concerned expression.

"Winry, you know I will. I won't leave you simply because you may be carrying another man's child."

"I don't want one…I don't want to have a child. I'm not ready! I wasn't ready for what he did to me! How could I be ready for a child!?" Winry fretted.

"Winry…Calm down. First, we don't even know if you are pregnant. Second, if you feel as if you aren't ready to raise a child, give him or her up for adoption. I'm sure another couple would love to adopt a child if the situation came to one. Child or no child, I'll stay by your side." He placed his flesh palm on her cheek. She leaned her face into his palm and placed her hand against the top of his hand. As he leaned in to kiss her, Den ran between them, knocking both of them on their rears as he continued his run towards the pond.

"DEN!" Ed shouted as he rubbed his bumper. He stood up and helped Winry back to her feet. "How's your ankle by the way?"

"Better…Granny wrapped it when we got home from the pond. The bandage is really helping me walk normally right now." Winry replied.

"That's good." He stated. They walked hand-in-hand to the pond and took a seat at the swing towards the opposite side from the dock. Winry leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, "Ed?"

"Hm?"

"After you and Al restore your bodies, what do you plan to do? Travel some more?"

"Oh…Well…Al really wants to learn about Alkahestry from that Xing brat with the ugly black and white cat. As for me? Well…I don't know…I think I might rest for a few years and just chill in Risembool. After that? Who knows? Maybe I'll travel but I know one thing. When I travel just to travel, I'm not gonna travel alone. I'll take you with me."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, if you want to that is." Ed smiled.

"Yes! I want to!" Winry stated without a single thought into the matter.

"Really? Are you sure? I mean, your home is in Resimbool with Granny. Won't you miss her?" Ed asked before giving her a small kiss on the top of her head.

"Ed, I've trained in Rush Valley for almost seven months and was fine on my own. Sure, I missed Granny but the training was worth the heartache. I wanted to learn how to make the finest Automail for you. I made a promise that as you and Al progress in restoring your bodies, I would progress with my Automail. I wanted to create the best for the best!" Winry confessed, blushing.

"Y-you did?" Ed asked, blushing as well as scratching the back of his head.

"Mhmm! About your question before, my point was that I'm willing to travel with you because I know it'll be worth it. I'll miss Granny but I can count on her being there when I come home. She's a tough cookie and doesn't plan on kicking the bucket anytime soon." Winry replied and then added, "Plus, y-you are my home, Edward Elric."

Ed didn't know what to say except, "You mean that?"

"Yes! A house is just a building that could easily be destroyed in a fire. I don't need a house to live in as long as I'm with you, Ed. If we travel and sleep in hotels up to two years, I'm fine with that. I mean, it would be nice to eventually settle down and start a family but like I said, I'm not ready for settling down yet." Winry said, her blush deepening.

Ed suddenly shot up from the swing as if a bee had stung him.

"Ed, are you alright?" Winry asked, giving him a concerned look.

Immediately after asking this, Ed suddenly tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Tag! You're it!" The second he declared a game of tag, he bolted away from her.

Winry hopped from the swing and chased him along the shore of the pond.

"You can't catch me!" Ed sassed.

"Oh yeah?! You know I always end up winning this game, Edward." Winry replied as she followed him.

Ed ran away from her and stopped when he heard her yelp in pain. "Winry?!"

He made his way back to her and said, "Sorry…I wasn't thinking about your ankle…That was foolish of me to start playing a game of tag when I have twice the unfair advantage!"

He bent down to check her ankle, when suddenly, she pushed him down onto his back, and stood up, saying, "You totally fell for it! I just tagged you!"

Winry started to run for it, knowing Ed would soon catch up to her. After shaking off his damaged pride, he chased her back and forth along the pond's shore. Suddenly, he gently grabbed ahold of her from behind, saying, "Tag!"

But his partner was not playing anymore. She froze and he could hear her breathing increase in speed and volume. "Winry?"

He released his grip from her and moved around to face her. He saw fear in her eyes. "Please stop!" she cried out.

"Winry? It's me! Edward!" Ed said. 'What's going on?"

Winry couldn't hear or see Edward. Everything that man had done to her was slowly coming back to mind. Everything.

Suddenly, Winry practically shut down. The color in her eyes faded and as well did her body.

"Winry?!"

He placed his hands gently on her cheeks and focused her eyes on him. "Winry! Snap out of it! It's me!"

"Please stop! Please!" she screamed as she squirmed from his touch.

'She's terrified! Wha—' Then he remembered the way he had grabbed behind her. 'Shit! I've just set off a replay button inside Winry's mind!'

Ed had to think quickly. He didn't want cops coming around thinking he was molesting her, so he did the only thing he could think of. He pushed her into the pond.

Suddenly, the blonde mechanic bobbed back to the surface and gasped for air. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?" she screamed.

'Good. She's back.' He sighed. "Sorry, Win. I had no choice."

"What on earth wou—Wait…What happened? I don't remember you pushing me in at all." Winry stated.

"I—I think the way I had grabbed you from behind set off some sort of post traumatic experience inside your mind. Your eyes were full of fear and you were pleading for me to stop touching you." Ed replied. "I didn't know what to do so I thought maybe water might wake you up from your vision."

Ed helped Winry out of the water and said, "I'm really sorry. I had no intention of starting that. I promise I won't grab you like that again…at least, not any time soon."

Winry shivered from the cool summer breeze breathing on her skin. "Thanks. But as for punishment, you're going to carry me home so I can change out of these wet clothes!"

"But I'll get wet!"

"So? You won't get any wetter than I already am!" Winry stated. "Now, pick me up!"

"Whatever…" 'If it beats being wrenched, then I guess I'll just do it this once.' Ed thought as he bent down so Winry could hop on. Den noticed Ed and Winry leaving the pond so he hopped out, shook his body and followed his mistress and the one he knew as Ed.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"You ready to go, Winry?" Ed asked as he counted the cash he had on him. 'Good. This should be plenty of money to get whatever Winry needs…'

"Yeah…" Winry replied.

The blonde mechanic rubbed Den's head before following Ed out the door. "Keep watch over the house, Den. Bite anyone who tries to come in that's not Al, Granny, Winry or me." Ed said.

Den just tilted his head as he watched the two leave the house. Den sat down at his favorite spot and decided to take a nap, knowing it was going to be a long day.

Winry pulled Ed towards the pharmacy. "I need a few things from here. Okay?"

Ed nodded and followed her into the store. She placed at least a dozen tubes of Scar Removal into the cart and said, "Alright, this is all I need from here."

"Okay." Ed said and walked over to the cashier.

"Why hello Edward! Long time no see!" the cashier said.

"Hi Mr. Eberhardt. How's business?" Ed asked.

"Pretty good. Is your brother also in town?"

"Yeah. He's out helping Granny with some errands."

"Alright, well your total will be 1,500 Cenz."

"Sounds good." Ed said and handed him a 2000 Cenz bill. "Keep the change."

"Are you sure?" Mr. Eberhardt asked.

"Yeah. I don't need the extra money. Donate it to charity or something." Ed said as he gave the bag to Winry and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Thanks though!"

Ed and Winry spent the whole morning shopping for things Winry thought she would need. She definitely needed more long-sleeved shirts to hide her scars from Al. Ed also thought it would be smart to buy her some pepper spray incase her wrench wasn't within reach.

"Ed?"

"Yeah?" Ed asked after taking a bite out of his burger.

"Do you think I should carry a knife? For protection?" Winry asked, fumbling with her fingers.

"Don't trust your wrench?" Ed questioned with a mouthful of food.

"That's not it…well partly it. You see, when I had a chance to, I reached for my wrench and aimed for his head…I missed and it hit his shoulder instead. It didn't really stop him from anything. It just made him angrier." Winry replied softly.

"Winry…I don't want you to sully your hands…Even for a bastard like Mr. Amsel. Like I told you that one time you held that gun in your hands, your hands are meant for helping people, not killing."

"I just…I can't let something like what Mr. Amsel did happen again!" Winry's voice loudened.

"I know. I understand, Winry. I do. I won't let anything like that happen again! Ever!" Ed promised.

"What about when you're travelling?! How can you be so sure something like that won't happen again?"

"I can't, Winry. If you want me to, I can have Mustang assign you some bodyguards."

"I want you as my bodyguard, Ed! Not some stranger!" Winry replied.

"You know that can't be possible while I'm gone." Ed stated.

"Then I'll follow you!" Winry answered.

"Listen Winry; let's talk about this some other time. Let's just go home." Ed said as he placed his flesh hand on top of hers.

"Not yet."

"You still have somewhere you need to go?" Ed asked.

"Yes. The county jail."

"Absolutely not!"

"Ed! I have to do this! I have to face him before his court day! If I don't, I won't have the courage to testify! I want to know why he did what he did." She answered.

Ed sighed, knowing she's just as stubborn as him. "Fine…but you don't go anywhere near him, okay? He stays on one side of the glass. Got that?" Ed said as he placed enough Cenz to cover the cost of their meal.

Winry nodded before the two left the restaurant.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Are you sure that's a wise idea?" Officer Himmel asked after hearing Winry's request.

"It isn't based on whether the idea is smart or not, sir, it is based on the fact that this is something I need to do. It's a personal matter." Winry replied.

"Fine. You must stay on one side of the glass the whole time. If you don't feel comfortable, you leave." Officer Himmel stated.

"May I join her?" Ed asked.

"Sure. Any other questions?"

"Yeah…" Ed said. "What is your policy of allowing a military State Alchemist to punch Mr. Amsel square in the face?"

"As long as your reasons are purely personal and not for military reasons, we can arrange a face to face meeting for you. We aren't responsible for any injuries the prisons may obtain while in captivity."

"Okay. Sounds good." Ed smirked as he cracked his knuckles.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry sat in the chair and Edward sat next to her. She tensed when the door from the other side opened slowly. Ed clasped her hands with his and whispered, "Don't worry, I'm right here."

Winry nodded as Mr. Amsel wheeled himself into the room. **(remember, his leg was removed from him by Pinako) **

"Why hello Winry. Come here to have some more fun?" Mr. Amsel smirked.

"Shut up!" Ed shouted. "Don't you dare say a word unless asked!"

"Awwww…did little Mr. Protective Boyfriend come to the rescue too late?!"

"SHUT YOUR FACE!" Ed yelled, pissed for Mr. Amsel insulting not only his tardiness but his height as well.

Winry butted in and said, "Why?"

"Hmmmmm?"

"Why did you do it?" Winry asked, unsure if she should continue on.

"Oh that's easy. The first day I saw you, your perfect set of curves compelled me to touch you—to run my hands all over your body and inside your—"

Ed was fuming now. "LISTEN HERE PAL! YOU WILL BE GOING TO JAIL FOR A VERY LONG TIME! YOU EVER TRY TO GO NEAR WINRY EVER AGAIN, YOU'LL ANSWER TO ME RATHER THAN THE LAW!"

"Is that a threat?" Mr. Amsel asked, still smirking.

"That's for you to decide." Ed replied as Winry tugged on his red cape.

"What is it Winry?"

"I wanna leave. I can't handle this anymore." She spoke softly.

"Of course. I'll be right in. I wanna send him a message." Ed said as he urged Winry to leave the conversation room.

Officer Himmel opened the door and Edward went through to the other side.

"Did Winry want you to give me something?" he asked.

"Yeah, this!" Ed stated as he rammed his fist into Mr. Amsel's face. "YOU DESERVE FAR WORSE THAN WHAT I JUST GAVE YOU! THAT WAS FOR HURTING WINRY IN EVERY DAMN WAY AS WELL AS TALKING DISRESPECTIBLY ABOUT HER!"

Mr. Amsel only laughed.

Before Ed left, he added, "If you ever cross me again, I'll punch you with my other arm. Then, we'll see whose laughing."

Ed left without another word and joined Winry in the main lobby. Before they reached home, Winry stopped for a split second.

"You okay?"

"I thought I could handle being in there. But every time I saw that god-awful smirk of his, it reminded me about everything." Winry replied.

"I'm sorry…" Ed could only say. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around Ed's shoulders and planted a much-needed kiss upon his lips.

"Thank you, Ed. For everything." She whispered after pulling away briefly only to be pulled back into the kiss by Edward.

"You're welcome…" he breathed before releasing her. He picked her up, bridal style, and carried her home to Pinako's house.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Three Weeks Later:

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Ed was glad Winry was almost back to her usual self. Here and there, she had times where some of the smallest of things would resurface the horrible memories of that night. Ed had decided he didn't care if Winry would ever tell him what exactly happened three weeks prior. He never wants to force her to relive the memory. He would wait. If she ever decided to tell him of her own volition and not because she felt like she had to, he would listen. But until then, Ed was contented in seeing Winry's beautiful spirit on its way home.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ed asked.

Winry nodded. "Better be now than later."

"Alright, well do you want me to wait out here?"

"No…I want you with me…I'd be too nervous to do this by myself." Winry replied.

"Okay. I won't leave." Ed stated as he followed Winry into the patient room.

Ed took a seat beside Winry and held her hand.

Suddenly, the door opened behind them.

"Well hello Miss Winry. We've examined your pee results and regrettably, you aren't pregnant. We're sorry for the inconvenience." Doctor Weimer stated.

"I'm not? T-then how come I'm late?" Winry asked, confused.

"Sometimes periods are late, Winry. It could be due to a huge amount of recent stress. I'm sure you'll start soon because our tests are 95% accurate. But if you don't start by next week, you may come in for a second test if it will make you feel better." She replied, handing Winry the test results. "I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes."

Doctor Weimer left the room and Winry smiled with relief. "I'm glad…I don't know what I'd do if he impregnated me…"

Ed smiled; glad she wouldn't have to go through an early pregnancy.

"Thanks Ed." Winry smiled sweetly.

"For what?"

"For the obvious, Silly." Winry whispered as she brought his flesh hand to her lips and kissed it gently.

"I'm glad you received the results you were hoping for. If you need an extra test later on, take it. Don't bother about the medical bills. I'll pay for them." Ed stated.

"Really?" Winry asked.

"Winry, I've told you tons and tons of times: My money is your money. Besides, I have all that cash and really nothing to spend it on. While I'm gone, if you ever need anything, call Central. They'll transfer your call to my current location."

"Okay." Winry replied. "Well, I'm ready to go."

Ed stood up, helped Winry off of the Patient's Seat **(does it have a name?) **and escorted her out of the clinic.

"Is there anywhere else you would like to go to?" Ed asked.

"How about we go somewhere to eat?" Winry replied.

"Sure…Wanna go to Marta's Café?"

"That's fine." Winry smiled. 'It's a shame he has to go back to his duties next week…'

The couple walked to Marta's Café and decided to eat outside. It didn't take long for them to order their food and soon enough, they were enjoying a nice meal.

They ate their food in silence but never took their eyes off of one another.

"Ed?"

"Hmmm?"

"I love you." She spoke softly, nervous about his response.

"L-love?" Ed gulped. Honestly, up until recently, he has believed love to be a figment of the mind. Something that wasn't truly real. But, these past few weeks have aroused certain emotions he thought never truly existed like twisting of the stomach whenever Winry kissed him or tingling skin whenever she held his hand.

"Why do you act surprise? Do you not love me too?" Winry asked timidly.

"W-winry?! T-that's not it?!" Ed stammered.

"Then what is it? Was everything a whim to you? Was I just a favorite pastime? Hmmm?!" Winry asked, completely steamed.

"Winry, that's not it at all!"

"You keep saying that, Ed, but what exactly do you mean by it?! I thought it was obvious of how I felt towards you."

"It was! I mean it is! Winry, listen, I'm not very good with words. Also, I'm not even sure what love actually is, yet." Ed replied. "For the longest time, I thought it was a figment of the imagination."

"Are you saying that you think what I feel for you is only in my mind!?" Winry asked, not really understanding every word he had actually said.

"Winry, you're not getting it! I said I use—"

"Save it, Ed! I understand completely! You're just not ready for a commitment! You're afraid that if you say those words, you'll be tied down to me like I'm some burden! You know what; it was silly of me to think things could be different between us. I'm sorry…I should have thought it through more and consider your situation. Forget I said anything!" Winry replied in a whirl of emotions.

"Winry…" Ed wanted to counteract her thoughts. He wanted to tell her he loved her…that everything she said was not true but he didn't know how to. He just didn't think it was an appropriate time to tell her. "You're still recovering from well, you know. You're not emotionally stable yet. I don't want you to rush into things because you think it is convenient timing."

"Y-you're r-right. I w-was rushing into things. S-sorry. I think I'll go home and take a nap. Please leave me be for a while to gather my thoughts." She muttered before standing up to hear his response.

"S-sure…if that's what you want…" Ed replied. 'Damn…If only I told her…She's probably going to pick out the best wrench to kill me with…'

Winry ran off without saying a "goodbye!" or a "see you later!". She didn't know what to make of the moment. She was embarrassed for making a bold move the practically brought rejection.

She was almost home when she stopped dead in her tracks. 'That's right…Granny took Alphonse to the store…So…it'll just be me and Den…' She continued walking and felt queasy. 'C'mon Winry! Ed didn't say he hated you…he only temporarily rejected you…because he wasn't ready…It isn't like it's th—' before she could finish her thoughts, fear overcame her when she saw _**him**_ standing in front of her door.

"No!" she screamed as she started to run back towards town.

But she didn't get far.

He came up from behind her and covered her mouth with a cloth, knocking her unconscious.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry woke up with a splitting headache. 'What's going on? How did I get to my room?' She tried to get up but she was strapped to her bed. 'What the hell?'

"You're awake!" a voice said.

Winry tried to say something but her voice was not emitting sound. 'Why can't I speak?'

"You're probably wondering what's going on, aren't you? Well, I'll be glad to tell you." The voice stated in the shadows.

Winry noticed she wasn't wearing anything—only that she was strapped completely naked to her bed. 'No! This can't be happening!'

"You see, I have a cousin in the area. He supplied me with a leg so I wouldn't have to be rolling around when I take my revenge. I never told you what I did with all of those girls I had fun with. My cousin bestowed me a leg so I could finish what I started."

He walked closer to Winry and flipped his switchblade out. He then turned it over and slid the back of the blade against her stomach, drawing imaginary circles. "Each girl died a different way, Winry. For you, I want you to have a slow death. It's what the world wants. The reason you cannot speak is because the gas aside from Chloroform I had you inhale was a special mixture of mine. It dulls your vocals but stimulates your senses. So no matter what pain I decide to inflict, you can try to scream all you want. No one will hear you though."

He placed the icy blade against her wrist and said, "By the time I'm through with you, you're going to wish to bleed to death faster." He muttered against her ear before slicing the blade through her veins.

Slowly, her blood began trickling on the floor as he also decided to relieve his sexual tension.

'EDWARD!' Winry mentally screamed as everything she tried to regain was immediately lost in less than a minute.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

'Maybe I should go home now…I gave her a fifteen minute start. That should have been plenty of time to clear her head.' He thought as he stood up.

Suddenly, Ed stiffened as his ears focused on a "BREAKING NEWS" from the nearby radio.

"THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS ALERT! RISEMBOOL COUNTY POLICE HAVE JUST INFORMED US THAT JONAS AMSEL—SEX OFFENDER—HAS ESCAPED PRISON! HE'S IN HIS MID-FORTIES, HAS GREYING HAIR AND AN AUTOMAIL LEG! NO ONE KNOWS HIS WHEREABOUTS BUT IF YOU SEE A MAN WITH THIS DESCRIPTION, PLEASE CALL YOUR LOCAL POLICE IMMEDIATELY. THIS MAN IS ARMED WITH A SWITCHBLADE AND HAS KILLED FOUR POLICEMEN IDENTIFIED AS OFFICER PAUL HIMMEL, OFFICER LOUIS BADER, OFFICER LEON ADLER AND OFFICER NICLAS EICHEL! AGAIN, HIS DESCRIPTION IS…."

Ed didn't waste any more time. 'Winry! Please be safe!' he mentally prayed as he started running towards the Rockbell house.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry could feel the blood flowing from her veins to the floor of her room. He had sliced her other wrist as well as the side of her stomach. Honestly, she didn't care if she died. She'd rather die than face anymore humiliation. Despite how many times she prayed for Ed to save her, she didn't want him to see her like this. To see her with her pride completely shattered—it would ruin the both of them.

As he continued to move his body against her, he said, "Your precious boyfriend should be here any minute. I've fulfilled my life's purpose and feel as if there is no one else in the world who could give me as much pleasure as you, Winry. So, as you die slowly, you will receive the best chance in a life time. You'll witness what no other victim of mine has before." He smirked as he brought his switchblade up to his neck. "You've made me a complete man, Winry."

Before doing anything, he gave Winry another heavy thrust before slicing his own throat.

Winry wanted to scream louder than ever. His blood spewed on top of her as his body fell limp. She felt weak. She knew she only had minutes before her blood content was completely emptied. 'Ed….' she thought as tears drained from her eyes. 'If only I could see him one last time before—'

Suddenly, the door swung open and there he was, standing there while panting heavily. He didn't say anything. He just acted and ran to her. He pulled Mr. Amsel off of her and sliced off all of the restraints with his alchemized automail.

"Winry…just hang on! Just hang on!" He yelled as he took out his hair tie and tied it against her left arm's artery. He then slipped off his belt and tied it around her right arm. 'She needs medical attention!'

There was only one doctor he knew who could help. 'Doctor Marcoh!'

Doctor Marcov was currently traveling with Scar. 'There's no damn way he'd get here in time!'

Suddenly he heard Al and Pinako's voices coming from the downstairs.

"AL! GRANNY! HELP!" he shouted.

The other two ran up the stairs and gasped as the entered Winry's room.

"What happened?" Al panicked.

"Not now! We need to help her and fast! She's lost too much blood and the only person who could help her is probably Dr. Marcoh! But I don't know where he is right now?!" Ed replied.

"Dr. Marcoh!? He's in town!?"Al replied. "We ran into him at the pharmacy! He was gathering some supplies like sedatives or what not. He actually told me he wanted to talk to you!"

"I'll bandage Winry's cuts as much as I can," Pinako stated, "You to find Dr. Marcoh and hurry!"

"Right!" the brothers replied in unison as the scrambled out of Winry's room.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Dr. Marcoh!" Ed shouted. "You in there?!"

Suddenly the hotel door opened. "Ed, I've been expecting you."

"Not now. I need your help! Winry….a childhood friend of mine….she's dying! That man…the one who escaped prison…he slit her wrists and the side of her stomach…You're the only one I know who can heal using alchemy! Please!" Ed pleaded.

"I'm sorry…I don't use Alchemy anymore. I've allowed so many people to cheat death…It isn't right." Marcoh stated.

"That's bullshit! Saving lives is not cheating death! I don't know why you've vowed to stop performing medical alchemy but you're my only hope! Please! Find it in you to save her! If not for me, do it for the many lives you sacrificed to make the stone! I know what you can do and honor those people by saving Winry! Please!"

"I'm sorry, Ed! But I can't!" Marcoh stated.

"I'm not going to sit around and watch her die! Dammit! A few weeks ago, that same man who slit her wrists raped her! Her spirit was crushed! When I found out, she put her trust in me. I promised her I wouldn't let that man touch her again! Little by little, she was gaining back her shine…The shine that made her Winry. Now, I'm asking you…no, begging you to save the woman I love!" Ed confessed.

"I'm sorry, Ed…I wish I could help you but some of my alchemic ability has run dry." Marcoh replied.

"You know, if I were standing in front of Winry's parents, and she wasn't their daughter, they would have at least tried to save her. I thought there was more to you, Dr. Marcoh." Ed said before leaving.

"Brother! You can't just give up! Winry'll die!" Al panicked.

"Al…listen to me very carefully. I'm going to open the gate."

"What!?"

"I'm going to ask Truth to take my arm to save Winry's life." Ed replied.

"No! You can't trust Truth! He'll trick you and whatever you want to happen, won't!" Al stated. "I won't let you do something stupid!"

"I HAVE T—"

Before Ed finished his sentence, Al punched him in the stomach. "NOW YOU LISTEN HERE, EDWARD! TAKE IT FROM SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE A BODY TO FEEL, TASTE OR SMELL! YOU GO HOME AND CHERISH WHAT LITTLE TIME YOU HAVE LEFT WITH HER. SHE LOVES YOU, ED AND IF THERE IS NO WAY TO SAVE HER, YOU MUST LET HER KNOW HOW YOU FEEL! THIS IS A CRUCIAL TIME FOR ALL OF US! REMEMBER, DEATH HAS ITS OWN CLOCK! WE DON'T MESS WITH DEATH AND FOR ALL WE KNOW, THIS MAY BE WINRY'S TIME! NOW GET YOUR FULLMETAL BUTT IN GEAR AND GO TO HER!"

Like always, he didn't know what to say. "Damn."

He punched the ground and continued to curse. Al picked him up and threw him over his metal armor's shoulder. "You're going to save Winry, Ed. I don't know how but I have faith."

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"H-how is she?" Al asked as he placed a near-lifeless Ed on the seat next to Winry's bed.

"She's slipping…I've bandaged her cuts but no matter how much I re-bandage them, the blood won't stop. Because Ed thought quickly and cut off her arteries, the bleeding stopped for a while but I had to remove the tie and the belt so it wouldn't cut her circulation."

"Will she be okay?" Al asked.

"I don't think so…Let's leave the two of them alone, okay?" Pinako stated, sorrow in her voice.

"O-okay…" Al replied, mentally saying goodbye to Winry.

When the two left, Ed could hear his name faintly being called.

He shook out of his dumbed state and saw Winry mouth lipping his name.

He took her hands in his and kissed her cold fingers.

"Please don't leave me, Win. I need you here beside me when I restore my body! I need you!" He stroked her hair with his flesh hand and continued, "Earlier you told me you love me. The truth is, until now, I really didn't know what love was. But, because of these terrible circumstances, I understand now. Love is when you can't picture moving on without that special person beside you. Love is when you feel empty inside when you realize you may never see her again. Dammit Winry! I'm never good with words, you know that! That's why I didn't say it to you earlier…"

He could see faint tears falling from her eyes. She weakly smiled and whispered, "Shhhhhh…It's okay…"

"No it's not! I vowed to protect you! How can it be when I can't even keep you protected?"

"Ed…You have given me so much more…" she whispered.

"Winry…" Ed said gloomily.

"Can you….can you do something…for me?" she asked, struggling to breathe properly.

"Anything." Ed replied as he continually stroked her hair.

"Just…Just kiss me one last time."

"O-of c-course." He stuttered before placing his lips on hers. He lifted up slowly and whispered, "I love you Winry…Always have."

"I feel so weak…" she replied.

Tears, for the first time, started to fall from his eyes. "You gotta hang in there, Winry. You gott—"

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and there was Dr. Marcoh. "Move away Ed. I've got someone to save."

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Keiko Fujiwara: I think I'll end part II here. :)**

**Who knows…maybe I might have this be a 4 pt story along with an epilogue. What do you think!? I need input! :)**

**Please tell me if you like it! XD **


	3. Part III

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST IN ANYWAY! **

**Rated M for a specific section in Chapter 1**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Her Shine**

Keiko Fujiwara

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**RECAP: **

"_Can you….can you do something…for me?" she asked, struggling to breathe properly. _

"_Anything." Ed replied as he continually stroked her hair. _

"_Just…Just kiss me one last time."_

"_O-of c-course." He stuttered before placing his lips on hers. He lifted up slowly and whispered, "I love you Winry…Always have." _

"_I feel so weak…" she replied. _

_Tears, for the first time, started to fall from his eyes. "You gotta hang in there, Winry. You gott—"_

_Suddenly, the door slammed open, and there was Dr. Marcoh. "Move away Ed. I've got someone to save." _

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"D-Dr. Marcoh!" Ed never expected him to show up let alone see him in this crying state.

"I cannot heal her wounds, Ed. But, with the help of Mei, we may be able to completely heal her. Mei will be able to close her wounds using Alkahestry. I won't be able to replace the blood she's lost, but I can speed up the multiplication of her blood cells until she can recover on her own. Mei! Come quick! I hadn't realized how dire the situation was!"

"I TOLD YOU SHE WAS BLEEDING TO DEATH!" Ed shouted as Mei walked in.

Before Mei started, she said, "Okay. OUT YOU TWO! I NEED TO EXAMINE HER!"

Marcoh immediately left but as Ed was about to leave, he saw the look in Winry's eyes. The look she often used when she wanted him to stay and not go off to the military.

"I'm staying." Ed replied.

"YOU WILL NOT!" Mei exclaimed.

Suddenly, Winry spoke up, "Please Mei…I want…" but she didn't have enough energy to finish her statement.

Ed knelt next to her, saying, "I'm not going anywhere."

Mei sighed but started her Alkahestry methods on both of Winry's wrists. Once finished with her wrists, Mei pulled the bed sheet off of Winry and began healing the wound at her side. Ed never took his eyes off of Winry. He wanted her to know she could be safe with him and that he didn't lust after her body.

After a few minutes, Mei said, "Done." She recovered Winry and called for Dr. Marcoh. "She's ready!"

Dr. Marcoh placed his transmutation-circled-hand on Winry's arm. A blue light flashed for a few seconds. "There. I've catalyzed her blood cells enough to multiply at a faster rate than normal humans. She's lost at least 35% of her blood which is a very high percentage in her case. It will take at least four days until she'll be able to move around. By then, her blood cells should be able to multiply at a normal rate on their own. We'll be staying in town for a week because I am waiting on some medicine to arrive at the local pharmacy. By the way Ed, I need to talk to you but it can wait until your friend is feeling better. Here is the hotel number if you need anything."

Suddenly, Pinako said, "What do we do in the meantime? Should she eat?"

"No. Right now, her body doesn't have the strength to digest solids. Make sure she has plenty of water, though. This is an automail clinic, is it not?"

"Yes it is."

"Then I'm sure you have IVs you can hook her up to." Marcoh replied before leaving. "Mei, come back when you're ready."

"Okay." She replied. She felt as if she should stay in case anything goes wrong. In the meantime, she wanted to know what Alphonse was doing nowadays.

For the whole night, Ed did not leave her side. He kept holding her hands and would occasionally kiss them. "You're going to be alright, Winry. I promise."

**鋼の錬金術****師**

FOUR DAYS LATER

**鋼の錬金術****師**

When Mei noticed Winry was progressing, she bid farewell and went back to Dr. Marcoh. She wanted to tell him of the good news.

Winry's color started coming back as well as parts of her strength. She couldn't yet walk on her own yet but she some of her movement has returned. Ed never left her side. Wherever she needed to go, he took her. There were times where he had to help her to the toilet because Pinako was off buying groceries with Al.

"I'm sorry…." She said.

"Winry, it wasn't your fault. I'm the one who should apologize. I made a promise to you that I would protect you but I failed. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine." He replied.

Winry didn't answer. Instead she asked, "Can you take me to the pond?"

"Of course." Ed said before picking her up. "Wait…did you want to walk?"

"No…carrying me is fine." She answered with a soft smile as Den automatically followed.

Ed brought her over to the swing and gently placed her down before sitting next to her. Winry leaned into him as they heard Den, once again, plop himself into the pond.

The couple sat in silence and simply enjoyed each other's company. While Winry was listening to the birds sing the splashes Den made, Ed was lost in thoughts. 'Not once has she mentioned what happened. I mean, the guy ripped his throat right in front of her. If it were me, I'd be scarred. Maybe she's blocked it and doesn't want to think of it…'

"Ed…"

"Yeah?"

"I f-finally s-started…" she blushed.

"Started wha—Oh. You relieved?" Ed blushed as well. Normally, Winry would have wrenched him for knowing or asking about such private information.

Winry nodded. "I'm also g-glad…that h-he's gone…"

"Oh…yeah…me too."

Awkward silence filled the air. Ed didn't know really what to say and Winry didn't want to talk.

Finally, she spoke. "I-It's been a m-month…"

"Has it?" Ed asked.

"Yeah…" she replied.

"Well maybe Mustang Jerkface will forget about me for a while." Ed snickered as Winry took off her shoes.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I want to feel the grass…I want to try to walk on my own."

"Okay…I'll walk with you in case you need support." Ed said.

"Thanks." Winry smiled. Ed helped her to her feet and first she leaned on him for support but then when she felt as if she was ready to walk on her own, she released her grip. Ed walked backwards in front of her and said, "There you go. You've g—"

Suddenly, Winry lost her balance. Ed caught her before she could fall. She blushed partly because she was embarrassed that she still couldn't walk on her own and because Ed gave her that special look. The look that tells her he loves her.

He helped her stand up straight but didn't release his arms around her waist.

Den, thinking their movements were going too slow, hopped out of the pond. He then charged towards Ed's back, successfully knocking Ed on top of Winry.

"Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me." She boldly stated.

Ed leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Because he wasn't sure how ready Winry was for more than just a simple kiss, that's all he did. Simple and chaste kissing.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Where is he!?" the Flame Alchemist shouted as he busted into the Rockbell residence.

"Excuse me, Colonel, but you are breaking and entering." Pinako said as she saw Mustang and Hawkeye standing outside her house door.

"I don't care. Where is Fullmetal?!"

"I'm sorry, Colonel Mustang, but unless Central is at war, Ed will not be bothered today."

"Why the hell not!?"

"He's keeping tabs on my granddaughter, Winry. Doctor's orders, not mine."

"Doctor's orders, my butt! I have loads of paperwork for him to sort through and he thinks he can just request a month off?! I didn't even give him my consent!" Mustang shouted.

"If you didn't want him here for a month, why are you just now coming?" Pinako replied.

"I—er—that's not the point. Ed can't just choose his vacation time."

"Sir, you know as well as I that Ed considers restoring his and Al's bodies a top priority. Did it not occur to you that Ed might have taken a month off because there was something currently more important at stake?" Pinako asked.

"What could he possibly find more important than restoring his and Al's body?" Mustang asked.

"Why don't you check the police reports? They'll give you what you need." Pinako stated.

"Why the hell would I do that? I don't need stupid reports to retrieve my information. All I have to do is order Fullmetal to tell me directly!" Mustang smirked.

"Heed my advice. Because of the circumstances, do not ask Ed or anyone else in this family about what happened. It'll bring too much pain and heartache. Something we all have desperately tried hard to bring back upon this family. Seek your information elsewhere and don't you dare ask Ed. Especially in front of Winry." Pinako warned.

Mustang muttered before leaving the Rockbell house. "Stubborn old bat!"

"Colonel! You need to calm down. I know Ed as well as you do and Mrs. Pinako knows him far better than we. I suggest you heed her warning and do not attempt to find out what happened from him. Just read or even ask the police. I'm sure they'd know." Riza stated.

"Fine." Mustang humphed.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Mustang and Hawkeye drove over to the police station and saw four caskets aligned in front of the station. 'What happened here?'

"Are you here for the funerals in an hour?" an officer asked.

"No…I'm here for a different matter. But might I ask, what happened?" Mustang asked.

"A crazy rapist somehow escaped prison four days ago. He must have been a trained soldier by the way he easily obtained the cell keys and murdered four of our best men." The officer replied.

'Somehow I get the feeling this situation is connected to Fullmetal…' "Where's the rapist now?"

"Dead. He killed himself after nearly killing his seventeenth rape victim. Apparently, he's been a wanted man for murdering sixteen other young women after raping them. We think he had been able to get by because he had an uncle who could perform alchemy by recreating people's faces."

"What do you mean nearly killing?" Hawkeye asked.

"Well, about three weeks ago, he had made his moved and raped his victim. Since she is currently a minor, I cannot tell you whom she is. He didn't have time to finish his routinely job so he escaped and then went back. He slit her wrists as well as the side of her stomach from what the report said. Luckily enough, the girl's boyfriend knew someone who could save her. She's recovering as we speak."

"Did you find out who was able to save her?" Mustang asked.

"A visiting doctor…He's still in town but he's asked to remain anonymous. He only told us what state she was in before he and his little Xingese friend arrived. She too helped the girl in recovery though her part was not specified. It's a sad thing what happened to that girl. She nearly died and witnessed the man slicing his own throat. Poor girl. She's always such a sweet mechanic. She did my right arm. Whoops…Shouldn't have mentioned that part…"

"Don't worry." Mustang said. "We won't say a word."

The military duo left the station, shocked.

"Poor Winry…" Riza sympathized. "I feel as if I should talk to her…"

"Why's that?"

"I understand what she's going through." Riza stated.

"What!? Were you—"

"Yes…It was years ago though. Way before I met you. I was 13. I met you a year later. Unlike Winry, I was not informed about male and female intimacy. My father was a man who learned by experience and he felt I should too. But he never thought I should have learned about sexual intercourse in such a cruel way. He regretted not telling me afterwards."

"It's cruel how some men treat women as objects and not people." Roy replied.

"That's an interesting theory coming from a man who visualizes every woman he sees in nothing but skimpy skirts and shirts." Riza rolled her eyes.

"Don't even compare me to those kinds of jerks. It is one thing to fantasize and another to take action."

Riza rolled her eyes again, muttering something like, "Men will never learn…"

"So that's why your father barely ever let me see you. He was protecting you." Mustang suddenly stated.

"Yes because the guy who raped me was around your age. Because of that, my father strictly forbade me to go near any teen around that age unsupervised. He said if he was in the room, it would be fine because he could have easily scourged them if needed." She slightly laughed.

"Well…I guess we should find Fullmetal."

"Yes. We should." Riza stated. "But I'd just like to add one thing before we find him."

"What?!"

"TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND DO YOUR OWN DAMN PAPERWORK! IF YOU LIE AGAIN AND TRY TO MAKE ED DO IT, I'LL SHOOT YOU!" she barked.

"But there's so many! If I did them myself, I wouldn't be able to hang out with the pretty women!" Mustang whined.

BANG!

Mustang: O.O;

"Consider it a warning shot." Riza replied before getting into the car.

'Glad to know she's usually on my side…' He thought as he stepped into the car.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Mrs. Rockbell, I understand what Winry is going through. With your permission, I would like to talk to her." Riza spoke with Mustang behind her.

"By asking that, I assume you two found out what happened." Pinako said.

"Yes we did and we are terribly sorry for everything." Riza replied.

"Very well. Right now, she's spending time with Ed. Because she knew Ed would be needed soon, she wanted a day where she could just be with him. So, if you want to talk to her, I advise to wait to morning. Since you two came all the way out here, I'd be happy to serve you dinner."

"Thanks. We'll gladly accept your invitation."

"But I want to talk to Fullmetal!" Roy whined. "I don't like waiting."

Riza smiled at Pinako and said, "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

"Sure."

Riza grabbed Roy by the ear and pulled him away from the Rockbell house.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Why're you pulling my ear?!"

"STOP ACTING CHILDISH AND EXPECTING TO GET YOUR WAY! THIS IS NOT CENTRAL SO YOU DON'T GO BY THE MILITARY'S BOOK! BE PATIENT FOR A CHANGE!" Riza shouted.

"But—"

"NO BUTS! YOU BEHAVE THIS INSTANT!" Riza demanded.

"You are my subordinate! You don't tell m—"

"THIS ISN'T A MILITARY VISIT!"

"Yes it is…" 'Has she gone mad?!'

Suddenly, her voice softened. "Roy, since you cannot talk to Ed until tomorrow, this is not a visit for work. You have a life outside of the military. SO I SUGGEST YOU BETTER START USING IT AND NOT ABUSING IT!"

Roy gulped. "Yes Ma'am!"

Before leaving to take a walk, she whispered in his ear, "If you don't behave, I'll just tell everyone at work about your little Black Book of Blackmail!"

"What!? You wouldn't!"

"You know I would." She stated before leaving the Flame Alchemist to his thoughts.

He just stared as she walked off. 'How did I get so whipped? Wait—' "RIZA!" He started chasing her. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW OF MY TRIPLE B BOOK!?"

As he chased her, she immediately stopped, causing him to bump into her.

"You moron! Pay attention!" Riza shouted in a loud whisper.

"Send a warning next time!" he rubbed his head. "Why did you stop?"

"Look!" she said as she pointed to what looked like Ed and Winry in the distance.

"Hey! Let's get a closer look! I can add this to my Triple B Book!"

"Shhhhh! It's not right!" Riza whispered loudly but Roy didn't listen to her. He walked closer to the kissing pair.

Suddenly, anger boiled him.

"Riza! Why does he get to declare a month off and can benefit from this where I can declare all the vacation I want and still get zip?!" Roy asked.

"I'm not your magical genie, Sir. I don't have all the answers. But Roy, do not start a commotion. Just leave them be."

Suddenly, Ed picked up Winry and they both jumped into the pond. When Riza saw this, she shouted with complete anger, "YOU DUMBASS! YOU DON'T THROW SOMEONE WHO IS RECOVERING FROM LARGE AMOUNTS OF BLOOD LOSS INTO A FREEZING POND OF WATER!"

'And she told me not to make a commotion….' Roy thought as he walked behind Riza.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Starts Five Minutes Prior**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Den never understood human relations. He was tired and muddy from the pond but didn't feel the slightest bit comfortable leaving his mistress with this Ed. He knew this Ed wouldn't do anything to hurt her but still, he vowed he would protect her.

He wished his mistress would know how sorry he was for not being able to protect her the second time. When the bad man dragged his mistress up the stairs, he ran to bite the bad man. But the bad man kicked him away and then locked the door after he went to his mistress's room.

Despite his guilt, he's glad his mistress has regained most of the energy she's lost. He's also glad that this Ed was able to bring a smile back to her face easier than he could ever do. He loves his mistress and forever wants to protect her but he gets the feeling he won't always be there for her. Even though he thinks this Ed doesn't deserve his mistress, he still respects the young man for showing her that certain type of love he knew his mistress has been waiting for.

He looked at his mistress and saw that she, sometime ago, had taken control of their position and was now on top of this Ed. She was giving this Ed anything but innocent kisses but, for some reason, this Ed did not seem to mind.

He was tired and wanted food. If he had to, he would bite Ed's sleeve and pull him away from Winry just so he could go home and eat. He had no concept of time other than the fact that he left at his early meal time and now it was time for his second meal of the day.

His ears perked when he heard Winry squeal. He looked up and found that Ed had picked her up from their former location and literally jumped into the pond. Den rolled his eyes and huffed. He stretched then laid his head on his arms, hoping that sleeping would pass the time.

"Ed! Why did you do that?! I liked this shirt!" Winry asked as she shivered.

"Chill Winry…" Ed smirked, thinking what he said was pretty witty.

Suddenly, a voice shouted at Ed, "YOU DUMBASS! YOU DON'T THROW SOMEONE WHO IS RECOVERING FROM LARGE AMOUNTS OF BLOOD LOSS INTO A FREEZING POND OF WATER!"

"Lieutenant Hawkeye? Wait…if you're here…."

"Hiya Fullmetal!" Roy grinned and waved.

"And my day just turned for the worst." Ed muttered as he hopped out of the pond and pulled Winry with him.

"Ed! That's no way to greet your superiors!" Winry stated.

"I'll talk to them how I want to." Ed replied before sticking his tongue at her.

'I keep forgetting their still very young…' Roy thought before saying, "Fullmetal! Your month is over!"

"So? I've got more important business to attend to. The military finds me a thorn in the ass anyways. So, I'll just be doing you guys a favor by extending my vacation." Ed replied sarcastically.

"I have a proposition. It will be better if you and I talk alone. Riza would like to talk to Winry anyways."

"What if I don't wanna?" Ed asked as he wrapped his flesh arm around Winry's shoulders.

"You ungratef—" Roy stopped at midsentence as Riza stomped on his foot.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL RIZA?!"

She grabbed his ear and pulled him away from the young couple.

"ARE YOU THAT STUPID!?" Riza shouted.

"PARDON ME?!"

"DON'T YOU REMEMBER A SINGLE WORD MRS. ROCKBELL SAID?!" Riza asked.

"YEAH B—"

"NO BUTS! NEED I REMIND YOU THAT TODAY IS NOT A MILITARY VISIT!"

As the two argued, Winry and Ed just stared. They could hear every single word.

"I thought we had problems…" Ed whispered.

"Yeah…No kidding…" Winry replied.

They continued to watch as the argument progressed.

"I'M SORRY BUT IF I SEE AN OPPORTUNITY, I TAKE IT!" Roy yelled.

"THERE WILL BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY! JUST GO BACK TO THE ROCKBELL HOUSE! RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE JUST AS USELESS AS YOU ARE IN THE RAIN!" she shouted.

Riza left a stunned Roy and walked back towards Ed and Winry. "I'm sorry for that. You two carry on. Winry, your grandmother has invited Roy and I for dinner. We'll see you then. Ed, are you free tomorrow for Roy to talk to you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good. What about you, Winry? I would like to talk to you as well tomorrow."

"Sure…D-do you want to meet somewhere? If so, Ed would have to take me…I…I can't walk on my own just yet."

"That's alright. I'll come by and see what's convenient for you. In the meantime, I'll see you two at dinner. I'll take Mr. Useless with me as I leave." She replied as she pointed towards a still-in-shock Roy.

Riza waved and dragged Roy away as he continued to mutter, "She thinks I'm useless…She thinks I'm useless…"

Winry than turned to Den and said, "You can go home now…I know you've been out here quite a while."

Den tilted his head.

Winry added, "When I get home, I'll give you a big doggy treat! Alright!?"

Den barked and wagged his tail before getting up to follow the military partners.

"Why do you bother talking to him? It isn't like he knows what you're saying." Ed said.

"He went home didn't he?" Winry smiled.

"I guess." Ed replied, not wanting to start an argument.

"Ed…Before we decide to ever get any more serious than we already are, I think you should talk to Al. Ever since you came to visit, you haven't been paying him much attention. Tonight, I want you to talk to him and ask him how he feels."

Ed stiffened at Winry's request.

"Ed? What's wrong?"

"I've been so selfish these past few weeks. I mean, we came to visit because of my automail and we stayed because of…well…you know. I'm wondering if I'm asking too much right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Winry…Al doesn't have a body. He currently cannot love someone like I can…I should have realized this earlier but is it right? Should I be enjoying myself while he's stuck in that metal armor for who knows how long? It's not fair to him and it's my entire fault. I was the one who insisted in doing Human Transmutation. If I hadn't turned a blind eye to all of the warnings in the books, we wouldn't be in this mess. Everything is my fault yet he's the one suffering. That's not how it should be…"

"Edward Elric! How dare you think like that! Alphonse doesn't blame you! He told me so! He told me he didn't blame you because he followed of his own volition! It isn't your fault, Ed! It isn't Al's either! People make mistakes, Edward! The mistakes we make are what shape our personalities! It's not the mistake that should matter. It is what we do with them and how we handle them. You could have moped and sat around for the rest of your life because of how guilty you felt. But you didn't! You chose to get up on your own two feet to try and make up for what you did by finding a solution. Though you haven't found it yet, I believe you will, Ed. I believe you have what it takes to restore yours and Al's body.

"I made the mistake in allowing Mr. Amsel in. But when he had me cornered, I didn't just hand him the award he was looking for. I fought. I fought for as long and as hard as possible. Like you told me, I couldn't help the fact that he was stronger and more skilled. That's just how it was. It was a mistake, Edward. Every day, I ask myself, "What if I did this?" and know what? No matter how many times I ask myself those "What if" questions, it doesn't change history. I admit, for a while, all I wanted to do was cry. But, you were the one who helped me back on my feet. You helped me realize that there's no use in crying about it. So I told myself that instead of wondering "What if," I would find something about both situations that I could be grateful about."

"Winry…"

"I'm not done, Ed. I found out that I was grateful that I didn't die like his other victims. I'm grateful that, despite what he's done to me, you're still here with me for support and love. I'm also grateful I'm not pregnant...You should be grateful Ed. You should be grateful that Al is still with us despite his lack of a human body. You should be grateful that you have a family to return to and that you were provided with the best of Automail in Amestris. Be grateful, Ed. Be grateful that Al can write a list of things he can look forward to. Be grateful that you were given an opportunity of a lifetime to become a State Alchemist and use your assets to search for answers. I love you Ed despite your past, present and future decisions. I just wish you could share the respect I have for you as who you are now. Not who you should be or would have been." Winry finished as she placed a hand on his cheek.

"Winry…I'm sorry for being such a fool and for not realizing the many gifts I have in life." He replied, kissing her knuckles.

"Ed, you are who you are and you're lucky no one could take away all you have to offer in the world." Winry added with sadness.

Ed gave her a sorrowful look as Winry laid down on the grass. Ed hovered over her and whispered, "I love you Winry."

"I know." She muttered back before he gently pressed his lips against hers. He had no expectations of what the future may hold for them. He just wanted to take one day at a time and when the time came; he would prove to her just how much he does love her.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Dinner was delicious." Riza smiled, complimenting Pinako's cooking.

"Thank you. Do you two have a place to stay for the duration of your visit?" Pinako asked.

"Not as of yet." Roy replied. "We plan on finding a place in town."

"Nonsense. You two can stay here. We have an extra guest bedroom and I'm sure Ed and Winry wouldn't have it any other way." Pinako stated as she pinched Ed's arm.

"OW! Hey! Watch it you Wrinkled Old Prune! There's no way I'd share a house with that bastard!" he pointed towards Roy.

"Ed! Be nice! They've traveled quite a distance! It would be rude to send the on their way!" Winry said.

Suddenly Al chimed in. "Hey, I'll sleep down stairs while they're here! That way, they won't have to share a room!"

"Al, you shouldn't do that!" Riza replied. "I'm sure Roy wouldn't mind sharing a room with you and Ed."

"What!? I certainly would too mind! Ed snores louder than an elephant whenever he takes a snooze in my office! Besides, he talks in his sleep too! Honestly, anyone would have to be either deaf or desperate to sleep in a room with him!"

Suddenly the room grew very quiet for several moments before Winry was the first to speak. "I'm sorry you see it that way…I'll give up my room for Miss Riza and you can have the guest room. Ed and Al can stay in their usual room and I'll sleep on the couch." She looked at Roy.

"Winry…You don't need t—"

"I'm okay. Honestly, I'm a big girl. I don't mind sleeping on the couch. Besides, Den will be with me." She replied as she petted Den who was sitting next to her.

'Well…this will be more awkward than I thought…' Pinako thought as she finished the dishes.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

After dinner, Roy and Riza decided to take a night walk to clear the tension in the Rockbell house. Winry was taking a nap on the floor with Den as her pillow and Pinako was tinkering with some automail. Ed decided it was the best time to talk with Al so he went to search for him. Luckily enough, he found Al sitting in their room.

"Hey Al."

"Hi Brother! Did you and Winry have a fight?"

"No. That's not it…I just wanted to talk to you. I've realized I haven't really paid you much attention. Are you mad at me?"

"Of course not, Brother! Winry needed you! When Pinako told me what was going on, I couldn't blame you for wanting to spend as much time with her. I could see that you're her rock in life…"

"A rock?"

"Yeah…I guess you're like her foundation. She confides in you and seeks comfort in you as well. If it were me, I'd desert you in a second to be with her. Especially under times like these." Al stated.

"Oh…"

"What's on your mind, Brother?"

"I was wondering how you felt about my constantly being with Winry? I mean, are you okay with it?"

"Of course! Winry is a great friend to me and by the looks of it, you're smitten with her."

Ed blushed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Brother, you two aren't very discreet about your personal contact. But even before you two were all lovey-dovey, I knew you were in love."

"That's funny because I didn't even know what love was until the other day."

"You may not have known it at the time, Brother, but you have always been very much in love with Winry. Especially when we fought about who would marry her one day. Remember? She told me no off the bat. But that weren't her words to you."

"Alphonse! I remember that story a bit differently! Her response was far crueler than a flat out 'No!' She told me that she would never marry someone shorter than her."

"But that wasn't a 'No.' Brother that was an opportunity! She told you she wouldn't marry someone shorter than her. Winry was a bright girl. She knew math very well and understood anatomy easily for someone of her age. She knew you weren't done growing. In fact, she even told me once that she calculated you would eventually grow at least six inches taller than her. So that's why she said what she said. And if I remember correctly, you were crushed! I wasn't. It didn't bother me one bit from her rejection."

"I see where you're getting at, Al. Anyways, the reason I wanted to know if it bothered you was because, well, I think she should come with us for a while."

"Well, considering the fact that you tend to destroy your automail every month or so, it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Besides, I think a change of scenery may do Winry some good. We can take her to Rush Valley to cheer her spirits, don't you think?"

"Yeah."

"By the way, have you spoken to Marcoh?"

"Yes. He only wanted to tell me one thing."

"Which was?"

"In order to find the answers, I need to make an Ultimate Equivalent Exchange."

"And what does that mean?"

"I honestly have no idea." Ed replied. "Not much to go on, is it?"

"That's nothing to go on!" Al answered.

"That's what I told Marcoh but he insists that when the time comes, I'll know what it means. Somehow I doubt it's true."

"He's right, Brother. We all have faith in you. Have faith in yourself."

Ed chuckled. "You know, that's the second time today someone's told me how to feel for myself."

"Well my only advice to you is to take it." Al smiled.

The brothers laughed and continued to talk until late hours.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Roy and Riza's Walk

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Roy, you need to start thinking before you speak." Riza said as Roy followed her towards that pond.

"Do I now? Heh…You know, your grandfather as well as father told me the same thing once." Roy smirked.

"I know. Because both of them asked me the same thing: How can you stand his running mouth?!"

"Oh? And what did you answer?"

"I simply told them that I could easily shoot your tongue off if you ever say something that could ruin the country you've strived to build." Riza replied.

"Is that so?"

She didn't answer. She just took a seat on the swing. Roy sat next to her and watched her as she gazed at the stars.

"They're beautiful aren't they?"

"I guess so…" Roy wasn't sure where his blonde companion was getting at but he decided to play along.

"You ever hear of that saying that Stars help us remember?"

"No…"

"Oh. Well, I've never told you this but before my mother died, we used to live in the country like Risembool where we could see the stars much like this. Then we moved to Central and lived with my grandfather until we could afford our own place. When I was younger, my father used to tell me that when my mother died, the stars disappeared. For many years, I foolishly believed him. Did my father or grandfather ever tell you how my mother died?"

"No. They never did."

"Oh…Well, she was murdered when I was four. Being a flame alchemist, my father created many enemies before meeting my mother. He thought he could settle down and that life would be perfect. Well, it was for a while until that night…"

"Riza…you don't have to tell me." Roy stated as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You're right. I don't but I want to. You've told me everything there is to know about you. Until now, I wasn't really ready to share my dark past. You know everything about me from the time I was fourteen to now but you haven't any clue what I've been through—what made me the sniper I am today.

"I may have only been four years old but I remember the day as clear as if it happened yesterday…Before my mother died, my father was a loving man. He wasn't the coldhearted person you knew him as. He was a trained assassin. But I'm sure you knew that part. Anyways, he left for one of his duties only to later find out it was a scam. A scam to get him out of the house. My mother and I were minding our business when we heard a loud noise come from outside. She told me she wanted me to go and hide underneath the bed and whatever happens, I was told not to scream.

She locked all of the doors and turned off all the lights before joining me under the bed. I can remember her whispering that it would be alright and that my father would be home soon. They were both lies. We heard glass breaking and doors slamming open but we didn't budge. We stayed as still as possible. We could hear voices shouting things like, "YOU MUST FIND HER!" We didn't know if they were talking about me or if they were talking about my mother. In fact, my father kept me a secret from everyone but my grandfather. So, now that I think of it, I'm sure they were referring to my mother.

"I whispered to my mother of how scared I was and how I wanted Daddy. She kissed me on the forehead and assured me all would be alright. But that's when everything went south. They apparently heard my mother and grabbed her from under the bed, dragging her across the wooden floor. I remember hearing the screech of her nails scraping against the floorboards.

Assuming no one else was in the house, they didn't know I was watching everything. These men were assassins and they didn't care for how they killed, only that they would receive the pleasure of shattering a person's soul. I saw them blow her head off with a sniper gun. But I obeyed my mother's words and did not scream. Instead, I paid attention to everything. I saw faces and body markings. Every single detail, despite how horrible it was, was important to me. It was what I needed to become the Hawkeye."

"Riza…I had no idea how terrible your mother's death was." Roy responded, shocked.

"How could you? No one else knows how she died except for my grandfather and I."

"What happened after that?"

"Well, a few years had passed and I was seven. We had moved to Central shortly after her death and I vowed that no matter what, I'd seek revenge and murder all responsible for her death. Since my grandfather was in the military, he enlisted me into military training school to keep my mind away from my mother's death. Some parents found it as child abuse, I, on the other hand, felt it was an opportunity. Soon, I was twelve and was the best military sniper in Central. My grandfather then personally taught me how to fight with a sword incase guns weren't an option. He wanted me to be prepared for whatever came my way."

"Then how is it you were raped, if you don't mind me asking."

"I looked up to a man who trained under my grandfather. He was strong, swift as well as handsome. I was naïve and didn't see any of the signs he was hinting to me. He eventually used my naivety as an advantage and got what he wanted. That was more than enough ammo to fuel my hatred for men. I decided to train further. My father asked me a favor one morning. I told him I would do anything if it meant I could leave the house at 16 to complete the mission I had trained for. That night, he carved his research notes into my back. He knew he wouldn't live more than five years so he entrusted me with the research notes, telling me to only give it to the one who would be willing to burn my back afterwards. While you were still training with Father, I left at 16 and sought out my revenge.

"I killed all twenty men who were responsible for my mother's death. I blew off every one of their heads to resemble the way the killed my mother. After I killed the last man, I came home and told my grandfather what I had done. He smacked me and told me I was just as naïve as when I was raped."

"General Grumman said that?! That's not like him at all!"

"But he was right. I was naïve. I didn't realize how ruthless I had become. Funny isn't it? I became the one thing I hated more than anything else in the entire world. That's when I realized I needed to wake up and start anew. I joined the military after that. That's when we officially met. What Kimblee had said about how much he loved killing people during the Ishvalan War reminded me of whom I once was. That's when I swore that I'd would only kill if need be. I wish I was more like Ed—a boy who doesn't believe in killing."

"Riza, why did you want to tell me this? I was selfish. I thought I had lived a rough life having been brought up in a foster home but my life's troubles are nothing compared to yours!"

"Roy," Riza leaned into him, "We all have things in our past we regret. I know I do. But look around. There are people out there who have suffered so much more than either of us. I can think of three teens right now."

"When I become Fuhrer, I'm going to make sure the military doesn't give people any reason to fear. I want the military to be the group of people everyone respects. The first thing I do will be to start an Ishval Relief. I want to help them rebuild their nation so they could finally feel like they can depend on our military to help if need be. When I create that vision, I want you there beside me the whole way." Roy said.

"And that, my dear friend, is why I haven't shot you in the back yet. You have a clear vision for our nation and I believe, no, I know you will be a great Fuhrer." Riza smiled.

The two didn't say anything for the next few minutes. They just sat and enjoyed each other's company, knowing that special moments like these are rare to find.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry tossed and turned throughout the night. Nothing was allowing her to fall asleep. These past few weeks were all nights spent innocently with Edward. Sleeping alone and on an old couch did not do her any favors.

With all her might, she eventually sat down on the floor and hugged her knees and starting to say, "Everything's okay. Everything's okay. Everything's okay…."

Obviously nothing was okay. Every time she heard a noise, she whipped around to look.

Suddenly, she heard someone walking behind her.

"W-Who's there?!" she asked as she grabbed her wrench.

Nothing.

She tried to close her eyes but heard whispers, saying, "It was your fault!"

"N-No it wasn't!" she replied to no one.

"Y-you k-killed me!" the voice said again.

"No!" she said as she immediately shut her eyes.

"You were supposed to die!"

"Leave me alone!" she cried.

Out of nowhere, she heard rustling of cloth dragging against the floor. As each second passed, the rustling came closer and closer and closer but then it stopped.

"Winnnnnnryyyyy." Something moaned. Winry couldn't believe what was happening. She just closed her eyes and rocked back and forth, repeating the same words over and over, "There's no one there. There's no one there."

A couple minutes pass and all she could hear were her continuous muttering. The second she opened her eyes, a ghastly, distorted face was peering into her soul with eyes of anger and hunger and said, "Time to die!"

And that's when she screamed as loud as possible.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Okay. I will end Pt. 3 here. **

**Note: This is not an AU. She is not seeing a ghost. You will get a further explanation in Pt 4! I promise! **

**Note #2: Riza's past was completely made up. I added some small Roy and Riza fluff because I find their pairing adorable X3 and sorry for all you Al fans that he isn't mentioned much .**

**Oh yeah, how did you like the ending scene of pt. 3? Was it scary? Not scary? **

**I was trying to create a creepy mood for that part. It's hard to do so I want to know what you think! :)**

**Also what did you think of Riza's story? Good? Bad? .**

**Pt 4 will be uploaded as soon as possible. Probably tomorrow night! XD **

**It takes a while to write 20ish pages per part .**

**Well, hope you've enjoyed it thus far. Feel free to review and answer whatever questions I threw out there :)**

**Keiko Fujiwara **


	4. Part IV

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST IN ANYWAY! **

**Rated M for a specific section in Chapter 1**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Her Shine**

Keiko Fujiwara

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**RECAP: **

"_Leave me alone!" she cried._

_Out of nowhere, she heard rustling of cloth dragging against the floor. As each second passed, the rustling came closer and closer and closer but then it stopped. _

"_Winnnnnnryyyyy." Something moaned. Winry couldn't believe what was happening. She just closed her eyes and rocked back and forth, repeating the same words over and over, "There's no one there. There's no one there."_

_A couple minutes pass and all she could hear were her continuous muttering. The second she opened her eyes, a ghastly, distorted face was peering into her soul with eyes of anger and hunger and said, "Time to die!"_

_And that's when she screamed as loud as possible._

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Ed flashed his eyes open as he heard her curdling scream. "Winry!"

He hurriedly slipped on a pair of boxers and ran down the stairs. Soon enough, Al, Roy, Riza, Den and Pinako were following behind him.

Ed flipped on the light switch but didn't see Winry in sight. "Winry! Where are you?"

"The front door is locked so she still must be inside the house somewhere." Pinako said as she came back from checking the front door.

"Alright! I declare we split up and look for her." Roy suggested.

"No. That won't be necessary." Ed replied. "Winry is still recovering from her blood loss. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't have gone far without falling."

"Then where would she be?" Al asked with a worried expression.

Pinako sighed. "Everyone except for Ed go into the kitchen. Winry is in a vulnerable state right now and it isn't wise to crowd the room. I'm sure Ed will find her. I'll make a pot of tea for everyone."

"I'm staying in case there's someone in the house." Roy replied.

Riza grabbed his ear and started pulling him into the kitchen. "Come on, Roy. I'm sure if there was anyone unwanted in the house, there would be signs of a break-in. The doors and windows are all in tact so I doubt we're dealing with an external force."

"Would you stop it with the ear-pulling?" Roy complained as Riza pulled him further into the kitchen.

As the two bickered, Pinako and Al left the family room but Den would not desert his mistress, wherever she may be.

Ed scanned the room and looked for the most available spot to hide if in danger. 'The closet!'

He walked over to the closet and opened the door slowly to find Winry rocking back and forth with hands clamped over her ears and eyes full of fear as she continually repeated, "I don't want to die!"

Ed bent down and reached to rub the top of her head. She flinched with fear.

"No! Leave me alone!"

"Winry, it's me. Ed! I won't hurt you!" he whispered.

She did not break from her frightened trance.

Ed opened the door wider and said, "I'm coming in, Winry. I won't hurt you, I promise." He crawled next to her and slowly attempted to wrap his arms around her frail body.

"No! Please! Get away! Get away!" she continued to scream but Ed didn't budge. She struggled in his embrace, pleading for solitude. But none of her flailing arms could unlock his grasp around her.

"Winry! You need to snap out of it! You're alright!" Ed shouted.

But his voice wasn't reaching her. She was far too frightened to listen to any reason.

Ed placed his palms against her cheeks and looked directly into her eyes. "Winry! Snap out of it! You're safe! I promise you're safe!"

Suddenly, her eyes started to look around as if confused. "Ed?"

"I'm here! I'm right here!" he whispered into her ear. She desperately wrapped her arms around him and started crying.

"Oh Ed! It was horrible! H-he was l-looking right at me! I could s-see the hatred in his eyes!"

"You're safe, Winry. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear!" Ed replied, holding her tighter.

"I was so scared, Edward! It felt so real!" she continued to cry.

"Shhhhh…" he whispered. "I know. I know."

He rocked Winry back and forth as he reminisced of all the different times he was haunted by the thing he and Al created after committing Human Transmutation. Even though they probably weren't as vivid as whatever Winry had witness, he understood the fear and the realness of it. To him, those nightmares were as real as he was living even if they were only a projection of his subconscious. He reckoned it was the same for Winry.

"Please don't leave me!" she whispered.

He kissed her gently before saying, "You're not sleeping down here anymore. You and I will sleep in my bed."

As much as he wanted to tell her that he wouldn't ever leave her, he couldn't. He knew there would be times where he would have to leave. And he couldn't break another promise. Not after what she's already been through.

"Come on, let's go upstairs." Ed softly spoke. Winry would not release Ed from her grip. Ed helped her out of the closet and picked her up. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and her head was resting in the crook of his neck. She had her legs wrapped around his torso and his arms were supporting her weight underneath her.

He walked up the stairs and entered his and Al's room. He noticed the others were still downstairs. 'Oh well. I'll talk to them tomorrow.'

Little did he know, Den had followed and took a spot on the floor near the room's entrance.

Ed placed Winry on his bed and he laid down next to her, pulling the covers over the two of them. 'Damn…How did it ever come to this!?'

He hated seeing Winry helpless. He hated everything about it but what can he do? He's done everything in his power to make sure she's safe. But he can't even do that right.

"Ed?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Will you be here all night?" she asked.

"I'm not going anywhere, Winry. I promise." He whispered before giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"Okay…" she replied as she felt his arms snake around her waist.

"I'll protect you, Winry. Just go to sleep." He stated.

Soon after a while, that's what they both did—they slept. Not even dogs barking could have wakened them up from the current bliss they were sharing.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**IN THE KITCHEN**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Riza was the first to speak. "Mrs. Rockbell, is whatever happened tonight the first time its occurred?"

"Well, a few weeks ago, after the first time, she did suffer one night of nightmares. But it wasn't as vivid as this one obviously was. Every night since then, except for tonight, Ed has been sleeping with her."

"Are you serious?" Roy asked as his eyes widened.

Pinako nodded.

"Way to go Fullmetal!" Roy exclaimed but immediately gritted his teeth as Riza stomped on his foot.

"This is not the time to be an ass!" Riza said.

"Rizaaaaaa!" he complained! "I was only trying to lighten the mood."

"Well lighten the mood somewhere else! This is serious!" Riza glared at him, mentally saying, 'Say one more thing stupid and I'll shoot you!'

"Colonel, Ed hasn't been sleeping with Winry in the sense that you think he is. He was merely giving her comfort." Pinako stated, partly offended from Roy's remark.

"Wait, what sense? What would Ed be doing with Winry in bed?" Al asked, confused. "What else could they be doing besides sleeping?!"

"Let me tell you, Al. You see, it's all very simple." Roy replied with a grin. "But then again, it may not be my place to tell you of such intimate matters!" he instantly changed his mind when he felt Riza's death stare from behind him.

"Intimate matters? Granny! What in the world is Colonel Mustang talking about?" Al asked.

"Alphonse, do you understand what had happened to Winry these past few weeks apart from the fact she was almost killed?" Pinako asked, concerned that Ed had not yet explained to his younger brother about such a subject.

"Um…she was…well you said she was raped…I assumed it meant she was beaten or something." Al replied innocently.

"Al, it is not my place to tell you about it. If you really want to know, leave the responsibility to Ed to explain it to you. He's your role model and it's up to him to tell you about the important subject matters of the world."

"That may be good and true, Mrs. Rockbell, but I fear Ed may not know what rape means either." Roy snickered but tried to be serious.

"Alright! That's it!" Riza shouted as she pulled her gun out and pointed it at Roy's head. "OUTSIDE! RIGHT NOW!"

As Riza forced Roy outside, Pinako said, "Take this lesson to heart, Al. Never say anything you will regret."

"Uh-huh." Al nodded, still confused about everything.

"Al, do you mind resting down here for the duration of the night?" Pinako asked.

"It's fine with me. I'll keep watch. I don't sleep, remember?" Al replied.

"That's right. I keep forgetting. Could you forgive an aging woman?"

"Of course! I understand! Goodnight Granny!" Al stated.

"Goodnight, Al. When those two come back in, make sure the door is locked."

"Will do!" Al answered. 'If only Ed could witness that fight! He would have enjoyed Lieutenant Hawkeye treating Mustang like a prisoner…'

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"WHAT THE HELL, ROY!?" Riza shouted without any regard for the sleeping neighbors.

"Jeez, Riza! I was just kidding! I couldn't resist!" Roy defended himself.

"THERE'S A TIME AND A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING, ROY! OBVIOUSLY YOU DO NOT KNOW THAT CONCEPT!"

"STOP YELLING AT ME! I'M SORRY OKAY!"

"ME STOP YELLING AT YOU!? YOU STOP YELLING AT ME!"

"I'M NOT YELLING!" Roy shouted.

"NEITHER AM I!" Riza fumed.

Suddenly Al opened the door and yelled, "IF YOU TWO DON'T SHUT UP, I'LL LOCK YOU TWO OUT HERE! AT LEAST THAT WOULD GIVE YOU TWO A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF TIME TO KISS AND MAKE UP!"

Roy and Riza just looked at one another. "Sorry, Al. We didn't really realize the loudness in our voices…" Riza replied, blushing slightly.

"Whatever…Jeez just hurry up so I can lock the door." Al replied before closing it.

"You know, he did say to kiss and make up." Roy grinned, his face centimeters away from hers.

"Please. Save it for someone who cares." She whispered before purposely whipping her hair against his face as she turned around.

Once she closed the door, she couldn't help but silently giggle as she left him speechless.

Roy just gawked towards the door before smirking, "She wants me. She just doesn't know it yet."

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Ed woke up as he felt Winry exhale against his chest. 'Man, what a night. I really don't want to wake up right now but if I don't talk to Mustang soon, he's gonna break the door down…'

Ed thought for a moment, considering of slipping out of Winry's firm grasp but he was just way too comfortable to get up. 'To hell with it. Mustang will just have to wait.'

"FULLMETAL!" Roy shouted.

'Damn!' Ed cursed.

"FULLMETAL! OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!" he shouted as he started banging on the door.

Winry opened her eyes to the sound of Roy's voice before mumbling, "Ed! Make him stop!"

"How!?" he whispered, not wanting Mustang to think he's awake.

"I don't know…Alchemize the door or something." She muttered.

"Then he'll burn the door down!"

"DON'T MAKE ME BARGE IN THERE!"

"Just go talk to him then." She said, not even half awake. "At least he'll stop the pounding."

Ed sat up and stretched his muscles. "Nah…I'll just test his patience. Besides, I'd rather be kissing you than talking to him."

Winry blushed.

Suddenly, Ed realized what he said and started waving his hands as his cheeks flared red, "I meant talking! Not kissing! Talking! I'd rather be talking to you than to him!"

Winry giggled as she hugged him. "I love you Ed."

Even though she knew he loved her and when they were often alone, he would show some sort of affection towards her, he still didn't feel too comfortable when others were present. The fact that Mustang was banging on the door and yelling for him wasn't exactly making him feel very romantic.

"FULLMETAL! YOU COME HERE RIGHT NOW OR I'LL BURN THE DAMN DOOR DOWN! DON'T MAKE ME SEE ANYTHING I DON'T WANT TO SEE!"

"If he's so eager to come in, why hasn't he already burned down the door?"

"Maybe it's because he doesn't want to replace it. My grandmother could be a scary woman when it comes to fixing the house." Winry replied.

"Probably."

Unexpectedly, Winry slipped off of the bed, pulling the sheets along with her.

"What're you doing? And how are you able to walk on your own?" Ed asked.

"I guess I have enough energy back. And I'm Getting rid of Colonel Mustang."

"How?"

"You'll see. Now, take off your boxers!" Winry demanded.

Clearly she had forgotten all about the nightmare the night before. Either that, or she was finding a way to keep her mind off of it.

"Excuse me?" Ed asked, face reddening.

"You heard me! Take off your boxers! It'll be more believable." She replied.

"What will?"

"What we'll be insinuating. It's the only way to get Mustang to leave us alone! If he sees something he won't expect that would embarrass him, he'll allow us all the time we need." She stated.

"Why do I have to strip?! Why not you!? I mean, he'd be WAY more attracted to you than to me!" Ed said.

"That's not the point! The point is for him to freak out! Not try to make a move!" Winry replied. "Plus, he's a guy so it would be more appropriate if he saw you in the nude rather than me!"

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" Ed hissed.

"Would you rather him see you naked where he's a guy so it's not like he'd be seeing anything he hasn't seen before? Or would you rather him see me naked and get a nose bleed?" She asked.

"FULLMETAL! I WON'T STOP YELLING UNTIL YOU ANSWER THIS DAMN DOOR! I AM YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER!"

'Commanding officer my butt!' Ed mentally retaliated. "Before I decide to be a pawn in your scheme, I have to say, you're awful chipper. Something happen?"

"That depends. Will you strip?" she asked.

"Just answer the question!"

She blushed slightly and said, "I just was happy to wake up and find you there. I was worried Colonel Mustang would drag you back to Central."

"Winry…You know I wouldn't have just gotten up and left! That's totally unlike me!"

"No it isn't! You used to leave without warning all the time!" Winry accused.

"Okaaaaay…If I left without warning it was before WE happened!" he replied.

"First of all, "WE" have not happened yet because in order for "WE" to happen, "WE" have to happen!" Winry blushed.

"I'm getting a headache!" Ed stated as he pushed back his hair. "You know what, I'll play a part of your little scheme but you have to do something in return." Ed's nose flared.

"What would that be?"

"Um….I haven't thought of it yet!"

"You're hopeless sometimes…" she said as she turned away from him to pull off her long T-shirt.

Ed lost his train of thought when she threw the sheet over his head and said, "Don't peek."

As he listened to her slip off her night shirt and her panties, he desperately tried to focus on the annoying knocks and shouts of Mustang. That would certainly be better than the dirty mind he was heading towards.

Winry then said, "Close your eyes if you don't want to be wrenched!"

Ed followed her instructions and felt the sheet lift from his head. He then heard her wrapping it around her body. "I thought you were pretending!"

"It can't look fake! It has to be real. Now, run your hands through my hair and mess it up." She ordered.

"Winry your hair is already messy."

"Fine. One more thing before you take off your boxers." She said.

"Which is?"

Winry bent over and pressed her lips against his. Ed was thinking it would be a simple, chaste kiss but no. Not on Winry's To Do List. She literally gave him a mental reason to want to strip that very instant but he also knew she wasn't anywhere near ready for that sort of relationship. No matter how much they both wanted each other.

"What was that for?" Ed asked, his head still spinning.

"That was so our lips would look somewhat swollen. It'll have an effect into the equation."

"What equation are you talking about exactly?"

"Never mind. Just strip and then mess up your hair some more. In fact, take out that braid! It'll be over before you know it." Winry replied as she turned around.

Ed mentally cursed as he did what she says and said, "This better be worth it! Oh and there's no way I'm going to let him see my—well you know! I'll just face the opposite direction. I'd rather anyone see my butt before my—well my other side!" As if his blush could get any redder.

Ed turned around, nervous about what Winry's plan. 'Damn. She owes me for this! I don't care if she wrenches me later!'

Suddenly, he heard the door open.

"FULLMETAL! YOU GET HERE OR I—Oh, Winry...It's yo-AH!" He blushed.

"Hello Colonel. Good morning to you too…As you can see, Ed is still sleeping. Now would you please leave us alone? We're still a bit exhausted from last night." She replied.

Winry was partly telling the truth. She and Ed were indeed still tired from her little panic episode but that certainly wasn't what Roy was thinking at all.

"Oh…Right…Sorry for interrupting the two of you. Just tell Fullmetal that he's needed as soon as he's available." Roy stammered.

"Will do…Oh and Colonel…Don't tell anyone about this…Ed's a bit…well you know how he is and if anyone heard about this, it'll just haunt Ed for the rest of his life. I'm sure you would understand right?"

"O-of course! I'll pretend this never happened!" he stated before leaving abruptly.

Winry closed the door and spun around victoriously as Ed literally fell off the bed in fits of laughter. Despite how awkward he had felt when Mustang saw his bare bottom, he had to agree with Winry, the after effect was well worth it.

"See I told you it would work!" Winry grinned but then her grin immediately turned into embarrassment when her eyes traveled from the bed to Ed's current position.

"Ed! C-cover that up!" she demanded as she slammed her eyes shut.

Ed realized what she was referring too and looked for something to hide it with. Ed tried to get up but a large chunk of his hair was tangled around the leg of the bed stand. 'Damn. My boxers are on the other side of the bed and Winry has the only sheet! Suddenly, he grabbed the only thing he could find within arm's length that could give him some protection from a certain pair of eyes—Winry's slipper.

"O-okay…Don't laugh…My b-boxers are o-on the other side of the bed…And well, I a-am kinda stuck." Ed blushed, knowing the first thing he would hear would either be Winry's laugh or her squeal.

Winry slowly opened her eyes and gawked at what she saw. Suddenly, she went from total embarrassment to trying to stifle her laughter as she sat down next to him. Eventually, her laughs consumed her and she literally rolled over on her side, trying to hide her emotion from Ed.

"I told you not to laugh!"

"Sorry but honestly, you could have done better than a slipper!"

"Like what?! What would you do if you were butt naked and your hair was caught?! I mean if I had the sheet instead, you would have WAY MORE to cover than I would."

"And you're point?" Winry asked, looking at him.

"JUST UNTANGLE MY HAIR! OKAY!" he yelled to change the subject.

"Fine! Jeez! Take a chill pill." Winry replied as she leaned over him to untangle his hair. Ed couldn't help but notice the sheet slipping downward as she moved her arms to unravel his gold locks. He grabbed the sheet and held it up so he didn't have to see anything he'd get wrenched for later.

"There. It's untangled." She said as her eyes met his while not realizing she placed her hands on either side of Ed's head.

"T-Thanks…" he muttered.

"No problem." She replied, still captivated by his golden-colored eyes.

Ed instinctively placed his flesh hand on her cheek as some of her blonde ringlets interlocked with his fingers. He then placed his metal hand on her other cheek and gently brought her face towards his. Winry's mind spun in circles as her lips grew closer to his. 'What's going on?! We've kissed before but this time he's scaring me! It's almost like he's a different person! His eyes…They're different…Where are his Edward eyes?'

Ed brought her lips to his within seconds and, much like the kiss Winry gave him before, this one was definitely not an innocent kiss by any means. Ed managed to roll them over where he was on top and without invitation, slipped his tongue past her swollen lips.

Winry didn't like where this was going. She felt uncomfortable and wasn't sure what Ed had planned to do next. She did the only thing she could think of—she bit his tongue.

Ed jumped upward from the sudden jolt of pain and asked, "WHAT THE HELL WINRY?!"

But she was in no condition to answer. She was looking at him with teary eyes. He's never seen with such a distrusting look on her face. He noticed her swollen lips and could feel the puffiness present in his. 'Dear God. What did I do?!'

He tried to approach her but she scooted back. He never meant for any of this to happen. He never wanted her to look at him with such mistrusting eyes—eyes he created.

"Winry, I—" but he had no excuse for his actions. Nothing he could say could fix what had happened.

Ed simply walked over to the other side, grabbed his boxers, a clean pair of clothes and went out to the bathroom, ashamed of what he had done.

Winry, on the other hand, couldn't move. It was as if her brain had disconnected from her nerves because no matter how many times she told herself to get dressed and leave, she couldn't. She knew Ed, in his right mind, would never have taken such control like that. But why did he? Whoever Ed had become, it frightened her. He had those same eyes—those eyes Mr. Amsel had. Eyes filled with lust and hunger. She finally gathered the energy to bury her face in her hands. She wanted to cry but no tears would spill. She wanted to scream but no sound would escape. All she could do was sit there and hide her humiliation from Edward. She was so captured in her thoughts; she didn't even hear Ed close the door as he left her sitting in such despair.

'WHY?!' she mentally screamed. 'WHY!'

But she couldn't find any answer that would justify his actions and that's what frightened her most.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**IN THE BATHROOM**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

'Dammit!' he cursed as he closed the door shut. 'What happened to me? All I remember was the look in her eyes and how beautiful she appeared with her blonde hair framing her face. After that, my mind started to swirl around different emotions until suddenly, only one thing was on my mind. It was as if I was in a trance—and all I could think about was wanting to touch her; to make her mine…'

Ed punched the wall. 'Dammit!'

He wanted to man up and tell her he was an idiot for allowing something to happen. But how could he justify his sudden sex drive? That was the problem, he couldn't. No matter how much he loved her and wanted to respect her mind, body and soul, a part of him desired to be with her. He had never meant for his dark desires to surface and take control of his body. He never meant for that to happen! But it did.

'I'm no better than the man who raped her! I promised I would protect her and make sure she felt safe with me! Just another freakin' promise down the drain! Dammit! It wasn't supposed to happen this way! It wasn't!' he mentally shouted as he dressed himself. 'She's mad at me for sure! Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to touch me again! I certainly wouldn't blame her!'

Without another thought, he quietly opened the bathroom door and gave Winry a sorrowful look. 'Maybe it's better if we keep our distance for now…' Before she would notice him, he left her alone so she wouldn't be bothered by him—by the monster he's become.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Fullmetal! We need to talk!" Colonel Mustang stated as Ed slipped his arms in his red jacket.

"Sorry. Now isn't a good time. I'm leaving for a few days. Something's come up and I need to check something out." He lied. "Tell Al I'll be back in at most four days." Ed did not leave room for Mustang to reply; he just hurried out the door and slammed it shut.

"What the hell has gotten into him?! He has no right to talk to me that way! I'm not some messenger boy!" Mustang complained.

"Sir, Ed only leaves Al behind with good reason. I'm sure whatever he has to do is far more important than what you two have to discuss. No offense, Sir." Riza replied with a more formal tone.

"None taken." Mustang said. "I'm more worried of why he's leaving suddenly rather than where he's going."

"Like I said, it must be important." Riza replied. "Now, if you excuse me, Sir, I'm going to go talk to Winry. Go take a walk or something."

"You're dismissed." Mustang stated. Since no one else was in the house to talk to, he decided to make it an opportune time to go into town. He wanted to double check those police reports and see if this deceased Mr. Amsel had anything to do with the military.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Because Winry hadn't shown up downstairs or was in her room, Riza assumed she was still in Ed and Al's room. Riza knocked but no one answered.

"Winry? It's me, Riza. May I come in?"

But Winry didn't answer.

"Winry, I'm coming in." she stated, more firmly as she opened the door.

Riza noticed Winry on the floor with her head buried in her hands. "Winry? What's wrong?"

But Winry wouldn't answer. She couldn't.

"Winry, did Edward hurt you?" Riza asked, more serious.

"No! He would never! Ed would never hurt me!"

"Then why are you soaking in tears?" Riza asked.

"I c-can't tell you."

"Listen, if you're afraid that Ed would hear you, don't be. He left and won't be back for four days."

"What? No! I didn't mea—He shouldn't ha—He promised!" Winry stated with bleary eyes. "He promised he wouldn't leave me!"

"Winry, did you and Ed have sex?"

"No…We didn't…Edward respects me…He wouldn't want to—Oh gosh!" she cried.

"Winry, what is going on? I won't judge you, I promise! Listen, you've been through a lot. I know that. I also know that you haven't told a single soul of what exactly happened those two nights. It isn't healthy to bottle it up inside. Believe me, I know. Sometimes it's better to talk to someone about it. You never know if that someone could shed a different light on it."

"How could you know?! You weren't raped twice by the same man and you certainly did not witness that very man slit his throat before your very eyes!"

"Winry, you have faced more trauma in one month than I could bear to say, but don't assume things you don't know. I was younger than you when my virginity was taken away from me."

Winry looked at Riza with bleary eyes. "Y-you were?"

"Yes and unlike you, I was at an age where I didn't even know what sexual intercourse was. I was naïve and believed everything that man told me."

"Did you have nightmares?"

"Yes…I had them for months. I'm not trying to scare you, Winry. You're a strong girl, I know you are. But I understand your desire to shut off when a man touches you. Unlike me, you quickly allowed Ed to help you build your security. I didn't have anyone. I assumed all men only wanted sex. I never knew there were men out there who desire to cherish the women in their life and respect them. Not until I met Roy for the second time."

"T-the second time?"

"Yes, you see, Roy was my father's apprentice. The first time I met him was not on friendly terms. I was coldhearted and hated all men aside from my father and grandfather. In fact, my father made sure I didn't see Roy for as much as possible because he also didn't trust all young men. I met Mustang for a second time when I was 18. I had just enlisted in the military and the Ishvalan war had started. That's when I realized that despite that tough act he portrays, he truly cares for the people surrounding him. That's why I decided to give him my father's research notes that were carved into my back. Despite the arguments, he eventually heeded my request and burned my back so that no one would ever become a Flame Alchemist."

"I'm scared, Riza."

"Scared of what?"

"I'm scared I've driven Ed away because of what happened between us." Winry replied quietly.

"What did happen, if you don't mind me asking? You don't have to share about the nights you were raped. I think that is something you should tell Ed when you're ready. That way, you two can share the pain together. It's important that he shares his feelings with you and you, him."

"Well you're probably wondering why I'm wearing only this sheet and nothing else."

"That's not important. You just tell me what's going on." Riza smiled.

"Well after Ed and I played a trick on Colonel Mustang, which is the reason I'm wearing a bed sheet, Ed had fallen off the bed while he was laughing. His hair had gotten caught on the leg of the bed stand and needed help to untangle it. So I did. Once I freed his hair, I couldn't help but stare into his golden eyes. That moment was so precious until something changed. Ed's expression started to scare me. He had eyes of lust and not of love. It made me feel uncomfortable. He then brought my lips to his. I didn't like the feeling he was giving me at all. He then rolled us over and pinned me down as he hungrily shoved his tongue into my mouth. The Ed I know would never have done that. I didn't know what to do. I was scared so I bit his tongue. When he realized how uncomfortable he made me, he tried to approach me but I automatically scooted away from him and feared what he would do.

"I hated that feeling! I wanted it to go away and tell him it was alright but deep down, I knew it wasn't! He then ran into the bathroom because he couldn't face me. He probably thinks I hate him! What's worse, I don't know what'll happen and I just can't afford to lose him! Not ever!"

"Winry—I don't blame Edward for running out when he did. He is a person who communicates with his actions. He isn't good with words. I'm sure he was finding every possible way to apologize but came up empty. The only way he could think of, at the time, to not hurt you any more than he had, was to run."

"But why did his eyes change?! Why did he suddenly started treating me like I was some object?!"

"I can't tell you. All I know is that sometimes, even with the best of us, the darkest desires of our hearts take control when not warranted. I have no doubt that Ed loves you. He practically worships you. I'm sure because he's watched you grow from a girl to a woman; he undoubtedly has hidden desires to be with you in ways he would never admit. In fact, I'm sure you have thought the same way."

"Yes but why didn't he have any control? It was like a beast surfaced out of him."

"Winry, Ed is someone who has never gotten so close to any one aside from his brother. You are most likely the only woman he's ever loved more than a friend. You and he are experiencing a whole new side of him and because it's new, he probably doesn't know who he is at the moment. He's confused. Have there ever been times where you wanted more than just sleeping to happen?"

"Yes…" she blushed.

"You see? Even you have deep desires with Ed. But, not to be a sexist or anything, you are a woman. You are used to emotions like crying, love, and desire. You cry for the Elrics who either won't cry or can't cry. You love Ed with all your heart but also love Al in a different way. You desire Ed not because you are selfish but because you love him and want to be with him in all his forms. It is natural to desire that. Ed? Besides his brother and you, he doesn't have many true emotional attachments. He is constantly traveling and is not constantly surrounded by the people who care for him. He's always moving. He desires to restore his and Al's bodies. He is a young man, Winry. He doesn't think with his heart like you do. He thinks with his mind. When you two were together and he was acting like a different person, it is because he's never really paid attention to his heart's desires so he doesn't know them. And neither do you. You two need to experience Ed's emotional side together and figure out who he is. When he comes home, give him a chance to make things right. After clearing his head, I'm positive he'll find his answer. Who knows, maybe he left to seek out advice from someone other than Mustang. Someone who knows matters of the heart and whom he can easily talk to." Riza replied.

"Thanks Riza…One more question…was I wrong to be scared?"

"No. You had every right to be. You are a young woman, Winry. And Ed is a young man. Like I said, you both weren't expecting what happened. Unfortunately, your first time privilege with the person you love was taken from you. I don't think you were necessarily scared of what Ed could do because you know, deep down, Ed would never do anything to hurt you. You were scared of what your first time with Ed would be like. You two have never taken that journey together and until you do, it may be difficult because neither of you would know what to expect. I'm not saying you two have to have sex right away. Please don't get that impression. What I'm saying is that you two have a lifetime ahead of you.

"Don't rush into things like sex. Wait until you two are both mature enough in your decisions as well as your control. Most teens, especially around your age, may find it difficult to control their hidden urges around the opposite gender. That's why I believe a man and woman should not sleep together until they are mentally, physically and sexually ready. They need to be mature enough to realize the possible results in their decisions. They need to understand that their bodies are different than their partner's and that it should be a practice of love not of lust. They need to be sexually ready because they need to control their desires and learn to not change their love to lust."

"Riza?"

"Yes?"

"What do you mean by saying that sex should be a practice of love and not lust?" Winry asked.

"I'm glad you asked that because, in my opinion, it is the most important concept when having sex with the one you love. Sex is a unique bond a man shares with a woman. It is essential that when having sex, each partner thinks about the other. If you have an attitude about what you could personally gain from sex, you will be heading down the road to Lust. But, if you forget about your sexual needs and ask yourself, "What can I do for him/her?" You will be experiencing love and that's the best kind of love there is—selfless love."

"That sounds like something wonderful." Winry said.

"It does doesn't it?" Riza replied.

"You mean, you don't know?" Winry asked.

"No. I haven't yet had the experience to share my love with someone like that. One day I hope to, though. If you're wondering how I know all of this, it is because I've experienced a world of hate and know what lust can do to a person. It makes them always strive for personal pleasure and eventually, when they think they've found the right person for them, their relationship falls apart." Riza stated.

"Thanks, Riza. You're right, it really did help shed light on the situation." Winry replied as she stood up. "I'm going to go and get dressed now."

"Okay. I'll be in the kitchen if you need to talk some more."

"Thanks." Winry replied and gathered up her discarded clothing.

'She's a strong girl. Somehow, I know she'll eventually pull through.' Riza smiled before leaving the room.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"What are you doing here!?" Izumi Curtis asked.

"I-I need t-to talk!" Ed stammered.

"Go find someone who cares! I've got cleaning to do!" she replied.

"Please! You're the only one I could think of! I-It's about Winry!" Ed stated.

"Winry? Isn't she your automail engineer?" she asked.

"Yes…but she's more than that and I just blew it!"

Izumi Curtis sighed. 'Damn persistent brat! He's giving me that look again!' "Come inside."

Ed spent the next thirty minutes explaining to Sig and Izumi of all the recent events with Winry as well as what had happened earlier that day.

"What do I do?! I've never seen her look at me with such distrusting eyes!" Ed asked.

"YOU COWARD! DIDN'T I EVER TEACH YOU TO NEVER RUN AWAY FROM YOUR TROUBLES?!"

"THIS WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!"

"HOW SO?!" Izumi asked as she cracked her knuckles.

"All of my mistakes have always been something that revolved around me. And I've faced them. But this one? This one included Winry and I can't risk hurting her again! Even if that meant running at the time!

"I vowed to bring back her shine—to make her smile again and laugh again. I couldn't bear to see her cry when she was alone after what had happened. She needed me and I gave in to her pleas. I never left her side. How can I face her now? I broke every damn promise I've ever made to her in one day! I promised to protect her. She placed her trust in me and what do I do?! I blow it up in our faces!"

"Ed, I've known you for almost six years now. Not once during my knowing you, have you ever thought about girls before you and your brother's mission. And that still hasn't changed because you know; you will have to leave her to search for answers. She knows that too. She is obviously a girl who can put up with your vulgar, stubborn behavior. I'm sure, even after what she's been through, she can put up with your sex drive."

"I'm not that kind of person! I don't want to be!"

"Ed, like it or not, you desire Winry."

"That may be so but I didn't want it like that! I didn't want to scare her!"

"Desire is not such a bad thing. In fact, it is what keeps sex the most amazing thing in the universe!" she replied as she hugged Sig.

"I DON'T NEED A MENTAL DESCRIPTION!" Ed shouted at the two lovebirds.

"But really," Izumi continued, "Before ever making love with a person, WHICH IN YOUR CASE, SHOULDN'T BE FOR A VERY LONG TIME, each person holds a special desire for the person they love. It isn't just a desire to have a sexual relationship; it's a desire of love. This desire is a rare gift and it shouldn't be wasted on anyone. Sure, you have sexual desires with Winry but that's only one section of the bigger desire you have with her. I'm assuming you see yourself marrying her and plan on having children one day. I bet you also want to be there for her when she's upset or when she is PMSing, no matter how annoying she may seem. Am I right?"

Ed nodded.

"Good. BECAUSE IF I WAS WRONG, THEN YOU WANT HER FOR ALL OF THE WRONG REASONS! AND NO PUPIL OF MINE WILL BE A SEX-CRAVING MANIAC!"

"I TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE RIGHT, DIDN'T I!" Ed screamed, not wanting to be beaten.

"Anyways, because you nodded when I asked you all those questions, it is obvious you love Winry deeply and love her in all her forms. We make mistakes, Ed. It's a part of life and albeit, you screwed up when you should have been controlling your sexual desires, she'll forgive you. Because that's what love is, Ed. Some couples fight over the silliest of things and never get back together. But when you have love, you do whatever you can to hold on to it, no matter the struggle. If you have to break your pride to apologize, don't hesitate because you'll end up being the one to crack under the pressure in the first place." Izumi smiled and Sig chuckled, knowing she was right in every way.

"But Teacher! How do I apologize?" Ed asked, seeking for more advice.

"Beats me. You're on your own in that department." Izumi shrugged.

"Hey! You're supposed to be all-knowing!" Ed exaggerated.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I AM ALL-KNOWING!" She shouted as she flipped Ed upside-down. "WHAT'S THE USE OF LEARNING ANYTHING IF I KEEP GIVING YOU LESSONS ON LIFE!? GROW A BRAIN AND DO IT YOURSELF!"

"OKAY! OKAY! OKAY! JUST LET ME DOWN, DAMMIT!" Ed hollered, wanting the blood to stop rushing to his head.

"You can stay for two nights at maximum until you figure out how to apologize for being a lousy sex-drive controller. After two nights are over, YOU WILL MAN UP AND APOLOGIZE TO WINRY OR DIE TRYING!"

"Yeah, yeah." Ed replied. "Thanks teach." Ed then left the Curtis couple as he went to the guestroom to take a mid-morning nap.

"He reminds me of me that one time we had that fight." Sig said.

"Oh Darling! Remember when we were young and in love!?" Izumi asked as she rubbed her nose against her husband's.

"Indeed, I do!" Sig smiled.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Riza, I need you to do something for me." Winry asked boldly.

"Anything. What is it?"

"I think I know where Ed is…The only person he'd talk to about his problems besides Al would be his Teacher. I think he may be in Dublith. I was wondering if you could drive me…"

"Of course I will! Does your grandmother know?"

"I left a note on the fridge and said I'd be back in a few days. I want to see Ed and apologize for not trying to reach out to him when he tried to reach out to me." Winry said.

"Alright. If we leave now, we may be their by nightfall."

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**NIGHTFALL IN DUBLITH PT. 1**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"There looks like there's a storm coming." Riza said as she drove through the small town of Dublith.

"Sorry for dragging you out here to do this. I'm sure Colonel must be worried about you." Winry replied.

"Nonsense. Even if he was and I have an earful later about it, it'll be worth it. Now, I'll drop you off at the Curtis's house and then I'm going to head back to Risembool."

"But it is a six hour drive! You won't get there til midnight at the least!" Winry exclaimed.

"Don't worry about me, Winry. I'll be fine." She smirked. "Now are we almost at the house?"

"Yes. We are." Winry replied, wondering if this was the right decision.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**NIGHTFALL IN DUBLITH PT. 2**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Dinner was a quiet one for Ed and the Curtis couple. Ed had a lot on his mind and if he said anything, he felt like he'd regret what he'd say despite who he's talking to.

Ed looked out the window as flashes of lightning struck through the sky. "It looks like it'll be one heck of a storm tonight." Ed finally said.

"Yeah, biggest one yet." Sig replied.

"I'm going to make sure your trees are sturdy." Ed stated as he opened the door.

He stopped in his tracks and widened his eyes to whom he saw.

"W-Winry?"

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**I think I'll end Pt. 4 here :)**

**Heck, I'll add one more part and then the Epilogue :)**

**Toodles! **

**Read and Review! XD**


	5. Part V

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST IN ANYWAY! **

**Rated M for a specific section in Chapter 1**

**Note: **

**Roy/Riza fluff :) **

**Some very slight M stuff but I swear, you won't even notice. **

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Her Shine**

Keiko Fujiwara

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**RECAP: **

_Dinner was a quiet one for Ed and the Curtis couple. Ed had a lot on his mind and if he said anything, he felt like he'd regret what he'd say despite who he's talking to. _

_Ed looked out the window as flashes of lightning struck through the sky. "It looks like it'll be one heck of a storm tonight." Ed finally said. _

"_Yeah, biggest one yet." Sig replied. _

"_I'm going to make sure your trees are sturdy." Ed stated as he opened the door. _

_He stopped in his tracks and widened his eyes to whom he saw. _

"_W-Winry?" _

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**A Few Moments Prior**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Just drop me off here." Winry stated.

"Winry, have you gone mad!? It's pouring rain out there! It would be irresponsible of me to let you run in that weather!" Riza replied.

"Please. I need time to shake off my nerves. Besides, I don't mind running in the rain." Winry answered.

Riza gradually pulled to a stop and said, "Winry, I know you're nervous and if it were during the day and sunny out, I wouldn't mind letting you run from here. Do you honestly want to risk falling and/or being struck by lightning before you get there?"

"I'm willing to take the risk." Winry replied.

"Why? Why make a worthless risk? It would be one thing if you didn't have another option, but you do."

"Ed is risking everything by staying with me because I'm so pathetic. People keep telling me I'm a strong girl and that I'll pull through. If I am so freaking strong, why do I need Ed to sleep at night? Why couldn't I fight back on that night? I'm so dependent on Ed that I can't even stand on my own two feet! He, on the other hand, carries a heavy burden. He feels responsible for Al's current condition. He feels like no matter what good he does to the world, that one burden will continue to haunt him. And yet, he's still able to cheer me up and make me feel safe.

"Where I…I'm pitiful! I couldn't even look Ed in the eye after the first time it happened. And then, I was so spiritless that I fell and just wanted to die. But Ed was there and he comforted me when I couldn't find the comfort by myself. Why is that? Why can't I stand on my own two feet for once?! Huh? I know he will eventually have to leave to search for answers but will happen then? I don't want Ed to feel like I need him when he's gone—that I can sleep alone at night without fearing I'd be attacked."

"Winry…I don't have all the answers but I know, because Ed can carry the world on his back and still stand on his own feet, you two are meant for each other. Ed is able to handle a lot and I'm sure there are times where he's silently hurting. Right now, you need him. He needs you. And when he does leave, you say goodbye with a smile and know that no matter where he is in the world, he'll always be right with you in here." Riza replied and pointed to Winry's heart. "So whenever you start to sleep alone at night, think of the happiest memory you share with Ed and focus on that. Just think of him in whatever way you can. If you conquer that method, you will never be sleeping alone. I'll let you off here but if you fall and injure yourself, you remember what you just said and stand back up. Even if it hurts like hell, you keep moving forward because that's the only way you're going to learn to stand on your own two feet and not depend on someone to help you up. Got that?"

Winry nodded and said, "Thanks for understanding, Riza."

"No problem. Oh, and Winry?"

"Yes?"

"Sometimes it's okay to feel pathetic. There are just some things we can't go through alone and our pathetic-ness is what helps us connect to the people we really care about. It's when we are most vulnerable that our pathetic-ness shows and that's what reaches out to people. You may have felt hopeless and all you wanted to do was be alone, but your despair helped Ed understand that you needed him. Sometimes, no matter how ironic it sounds, it's our pathetic-ness that's able to seek the comfort we need when we are blind to it. Just remember that."

"Thanks." Winry smiled.

"Now, go before you're blown away!" Riza chuckled. "I hope you two find the answers you're looking for."

"Me too." Winry replied before running off towards the Curtis's home.

'Reminds me of someone I used to know.' Riza thought as she turned back around and headed towards Risembool. 'This will be a long night. Not to mention the earful waiting for me back at the Rockbell house.'

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry ran as fast as possible. She was anxious and nervous at the same time, but she desperately wanted to see Ed and make things right.

Already soaking to the bone, she began shivering. 'I didn't realize how bad this storm was! But I have to keep running! I promised Riza I wouldn't stop!'

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a flash of lightning scared the hell out of her, causing her to lose her footing. Winry cringed. Her elbows and knees were burning. 'Ouch! I must have rubbed my elbows and knees against the pavement!'

She tried to get up but her ankle was throbbing. She looked towards her foot and noticed her shoe was ruined. 'Great! I ruined a perfect pair of shoes!' She reached over and pulled her shoes and socks off and tossed them away. 'They'll be a nuisance if I keep them.'

She clenched her teeth as she rose to her feet. 'I didn't come all this way for nothing!' She started limping as she continued along her path. She didn't care how many people stared at her through their windows as she passed them. She didn't care if her feet were blistery and bleeding as she continuously scraped them against the pavement. It still wasn't going to stop her. 'I have to do this! I have to!'

Suddenly, she stopped dead in front of the tiny butcher shop. 'If Ed didn't come here, he will so meet my wrench for making my feet bleed!'

Winry inhaled deeply as she wondered whether or not to knock. She took one step closer.

Closer.

Closer.

And unexpectedly, the door opened, causing her to freeze as her blue eyes met the very person she bled for.

"W-Winry?"

"H-hi Ed…" 'Hi Ed? You ran halfway down the block, suffered from a limp, gained bloody and blistery feet and all you can say is Hi Ed?' Winry mentally slapped herself.

Ed noticed her condition and took off his red coat, wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Thank goodness…" he heard her say.

"Pardon?" Ed whispered, still not releasing the hems of his coat.

"I'm glad…I'm glad you're here." Winry replied.

"Oh…"

"I came after you; Ed. Riza talked to me and explained things that never would have made sense without her. I came here because I wanted to say some things. But I need to do something before that." She spoke.

"W-what?" Ed asked, not expecting what hit him—literally.

Winry rammed her wrench into his head, sending him backwards and hitting the kitchen wall of the Curtis's home.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" He shouted.

"YOU LEFT ME!" She screamed, immediately making Ed feel guilty.

He gulped in fear what she would do next.

"YOU LEFT ME WHEN YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T!"

"Y-you're right. I did."

"WHY!?" she asked, in desperate need of answers.

"Because, Winry, I felt like it was the only option at the time. I came here because I didn't know what to do or what to say and I sure as hell wasn't going to ask Mustang for advice."

Winry tried to take another step towards him but fell forward from the pain of her ankle.

"Winry! What's wrong?!" Ed asked, crawling towards her. Izumi also rushed to Winry's side.

"I'm fine. I just twisted my ankle." Winry replied.

Izumi examined it and said, "You certainly sprained it. And look at you! You're covered with blood and dirt!"

"I know. I fell on my way here. My shoes were ruined so I had to limp barefooted. I continued to run here even though my twisted ankle caused me to scrape my feet against the road. I didn't want to waste another minute."

"Well, you and Ed can talk later. We need to tend to your injuries so they won't get infected."

"I said I was fine!" Winry boldly stated.

Ed: O.O 'She stood up to Teacher!'

"Winry," Izumi grinned, "I understand your wanting to talk with Edward BUT THIS IS MY HOUSE AND MY RULES APPLY! YOUR INJURIES WILL BE TENDED TO AND YOU WILL CLEAN UP BEFORE YOU SPEAK TO THAT WORTHLESS FLEA PUPIL OF MINE!"

"No! I appreciate your kind offer but I can handle myself!" Winry was on the verge of tears. She wanted the help and wanted to clean off the scum from her body but she needed to push herself to the limit.

Izumi noticed the threatening tears as Winry boldly looked at her. It was that same look that Ed gave her when he and Al wanted to train under her. "Winry, I know you want to clean up so why don't you just come upstairs and let me help you?" she asked calmly. 'She may not realize it but she and Ed are alike in many ways.'

Winry couldn't find words to answer her question. She just kept that determined look on her face. Ed took Winry's hand in his and said, "Teacher, can I speak with Winry for a moment? It'll be brief I swear."

"Very well." Izumi sighed. "I'll start a bath for you if the weather calms down, Winry. Ed, when you two are finished talking, I want you to bring her up the stairs. Then, I would like to have a word with you myself."

"Y-yes ma'am!" Ed stammered out of fear rather than respect.

As Izumi left the kitchen and Sig followed, Ed brought Winry's palm to his lips and kissed it.

Winry was thinking she was going to be yelled at by him but he actually smiled. "You don't know how glad I am to see you."

"I'm sorry." Winry said, looking downward.

"I'm the one who should apologize. Not you, Winry. You're not to blame."

"Yes I am! It's my fault! I should have no—"

"Shhhhhh…" Ed interrupted, "There will be time to talk later. I want to know why you won't accept Teacher's help. No matter how rare it may be, she's just trying to be nice."

"I-I c-can't accept her help."

"Why?" he asked calmly.

Winry started to break her composure. "B-b-because I w-want to l-learn to n-not depend on p-p-people. I d-d-don't want to b-be w-weak anymore. I w-want to s-stand on my own two f-feet like you do! Like you a-always do! I don't want to b-be a burden anymore!" she cried as she started beating on Edward's chest.

"Winry, you don't depend on anyone more than I depend on Al. How could even think you're a burden to me?" Ed asked, not raising his voice.

"B-because…I'm h-holding you b-b-back." She sobbed.

"Oh I see." Ed replied as he wrapped his arms around her. "Winry, you will never hold me back. In fact, you are the one who keeps me moving forward. Whenever I leave, it's another reason to come back and see you again in the future. I know I've seemed like a stiff in the past but I have always looked forward to seeing and being with you again. I fight my battles and have the determination to win because I know that if I win my battles, you will be waiting for me and Al. You are a constant, Winry. You've never failed to support my decisions no matter how much you hated seeing me leave. Don't ever say you're holding me back, Winry."

"B-but what about Al?! I thought he was your motivation!"

"You both motivate me but with each different reasons. Al motivates me to recover his body no matter the cost. Whenever I was upset because of a wrong decision, he's always the one who brings me back to you because he knows that once I see your face, I feel safe. I know I'm home. I do make it a top priority to recover our bodies because I promised Al I would do whatever is necessary. But that doesn't mean I can't have more than one. You are also a top priority."

Winry hiccupped and Ed continued.

"Winry, I don't know where you got the idea where I stand on my own feet because, honestly, I depend on more people than anyone."

"Huh? But you shoulder so much and yet you can still walk without fail!"

"That's because I depend on so many people, Silly. I'm nowhere near perfect and if I carried my burdens alone, I wouldn't go very far."

"B-but you make it seem—"

"I acted tough because I didn't want to see you cry and I didn't want Al to know my constant pain of blaming myself. You see? I may have some things I carry myself but I have help. I depend on Al to keep me in line and not stray away from my ambitions. Without his tolerable optimism, I'd be at a dead end. I'd be stuck without answers. I also depend on his alchemical input. Sometimes he comes up with things that I can't. If it weren't for him, half the things we've discovered would still be unknown. I also depend on Teacher. She's there whenever I need guidance and lessons on Alchemy as well as life.

"I depend on the military because without the sufficient funds, there's no way Al and I could do our research. And I depend on you, Winry. You're always there to shine light into my life when I'm down. You are so animated about life and I depend on your talented automail skills. Without your wonderful creations, I'd still be moping around in a wheelchair. And during my travels, I depend on the people I meet. They have offered Al and I places to stay the night as well as eat. Strength isn't measured by the number of burdens you can carry. It's measured by the number of people you have to help you stand back up when you fall."

Winry sniffed. She never knew how many people Ed truly depended on. "I j-just wanted to be strong, Ed. I want to take matters into m-my own hands because you won't always be with me…I thought t-that if I learned to pull my own weight, I wouldn't feel so weak."

"Winry, you are anything but weak! Hell! You stood up to Teacher, TWICE if I might add, and that's something I've never done before! Winry, you're patient, persistent, stubborn, bold, curious, loving, and kind along with many attributes. But you are certainly not weak! Crying is not a weak trait. It is a trait of strength because you're willing to grieve over your pain. When you fell to your knees the night Al and I came home, you were not weak. You were being very strong because you were willing to tear down your walls of insecurity and confide in me. Like I said, you don't have to shoulder your pain by yourself to be strong. And you shouldn't have to. No one should."

Winry slightly nodded. "I'm s-sorry."

"Shhhhh…How about we go upstairs so Teacher can clean you up. I know for a fact that you really wanted that bath when she offered it." He said as he looked towards the window. "And look! You're in luck! The worst of the storm is over!"

She nodded again, too exhausted to speak.

Ed carried her up the stairs and sat her on the bathroom toilet. "I'll see you afterwards."

As he left, Winry grabbed ahold of his hand, wanting him to stay a little while longer so she could tell him something very important. "I love you, Ed."

"I love you too, Winry." He replied as Izumi walked in. "I've gotta leave now."

And he was gone before Izumi could find some reason to flip him upside down.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Izumi left Winry to bathe and went to find Ed as promised. She looked everywhere in the house and finally found him outside, standing in the drizzling rain.

"Ed? What're you doing out here? You'll get sick!" Izumi stated as she opened the door. "Come inside! I don't want to have to deal with two sick lovebirds—and I mean it literally!"

"You don't have to worry about Winry, Teacher. She never gets sick." Ed replied, not budging from his spot.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah. She contains the future ingredients to all medical remedies." Ed smirked. "Or, at least that's what I used to think."

"That may be so for Winry but that doesn't account for you. Now, come inside!"

"Nah…I like it out here. It's refreshing." He replied, not realizing whom he's talking to.

"EDWARD ELRIC! IF YOU EVER WANT TO SEE THE SUN SHINE AGAIN, YOU GET YOUR LAZY, NO GOOD ASS BACK IN HERE THIS INSTANT!" she screamed, not caring if any neighbors heard her.

"Yes Ma'am!" Ed immediately replied and ran inside to avoid a fight.

"Now that that's taken care of…" Izumi said before pounding her fist into Ed's nose, sending him back into the rain.

Despite the pain, he plugged his nose and shouted, "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"

"THAT! WAS FOR DEFYING MY WORDS A FEW SECONDS AGO!"

"W-WINRY S-STOOD UP TO YOU! AND SHE DIDN'T GET PUNCHED!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE HALF THE COURAGE SHE HAS! IT TOOK HER LESS THAN FIVE SECONDS TO DEFY ME TWICE! YOU, ON THE OTHER HAND, ARE A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY! YOU NEVER ONCE TRIED TO DEFY ME! YOU NEVER STOP COMPLAINING! UNLIKE HER, YOU SOUGHT TO OBEY OUT OF FEAR RATHER THAN RESPECT! SHE SOUGHT TO DEFY ME OUT OF RESPECT RATHER THAN LAZINESS BECAUSE SHE HAD A DEEPER MEANING BEHIND HER REBELLIANCE!"

Suddenly, she punched him in the stomach, "AND THAT WAS FOR EVEN THINKING THAT I'D STRIKE A POOR GIRL WHO ONLY NEEDED TENDER LOVING CARE! NOW YOU GET YOUR HALF-ASSED SELF BACK IN HERE AND DRY OFF! BY THE WAY, YOU'RE PAYING FOR MY WALL TO BE FIXED!" she yelled.

'Damn wretch! She should be arrested for domestic violence! Tender loving care my butt!' Ed thought as he wiped the blood from his mouth. 'Next time she claims she wants to talk, I won't show!'

Ed went to the guest room and waited as Izumi wrapped Winry's feet, elbows and knees. She also extended the wraps around her swollen ankle. "There. All finished." Izumi said.

"Thanks, Mrs. Izumi. I'm sorry about earlier…I didn't mean to be rude."

"It's alright, Winry. Sometimes, if the situation demands it, rudeness is necessary.

"I guess you're right." Winry smiled as she stood up. "My ankle still hurts but I'm able to walk on it. Thank you."

"Not a problem. Now, I know you and Ed have a lot to talk about so you two better start. Just remember to keep your voices down because Sig and I will be trying to sleep."

"Yes ma'am." Winry answered.

"Good. At least someone is brave enough to show respect!" Izumi smirked, thinking of a little blonde runt.

"Yeah…Ed is very submissive when it comes to women. He doesn't like being yelled at and so he tries to be respectful but it's obvious he's only respecting out of fear."

"At least it'll keep him in line from doing something stupid." Izumi replied.

"Nah…He still does some pretty moronic things. That'll never change. That's just the way Ed is. But that doesn't stop him from taking responsibility which, in the end, is all we should ask for." Winry smiled before saying, "Well, I better go find him. It's going to be a long night."

"Indeed." Izumi stated.

As Winry left, Izumi said to herself, "Ed better hold on to her. She's a rare commodity to come by."

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry walked in to the room Ed was staying in and said, "Hi…"

"Hey. You feel better now?" Ed asked as he looked up from the book he was reading.

Winry nodded and advanced Ed. "C-can we go somewhere to talk?"

"It's still raining outside. Not unless you want to be killed by Teacher, it would be best to stay here."

"Oh…Okay." She replied, taking a seat next to him. "Here's your coat back."

"Nah…You keep it. I can get myself another one easily." Ed smiled. "All I have to do is buy some red material and then transmute it to a matching coat. I've done it before so it's no big deal."

"T-thanks." She said as he wrapped the coat around her shoulders.

They sat in silence for a few moments until Ed said, "Listen Winry. I've been doing a lot of thinking. Will you hear me out?"

She nodded and urged him to continue as she leaned against him.

"Winry, we both have changed a lot over the course of the years and we've always been very close to one another. As we continue to get older, it's very natural for us to have certain urges and desires for each other. I've realized that I shouldn't feel bad that I'm attractive to you—in more ways than one. I don't feel guilty for wanting to share our life together and for wanting certain things that we both aren't ready for. I'm not saying I'm just physically and sexually attracted to you, Winry. That would be a complete and horrible lie. I fell in love with you because of your charm and your radiance. You shine brighter than any star in the sky. And because I love you for whom you are, it would be natural for me to want to love you more than just holding and kissing.

"What I'm guilty of is how I acted earlier today. That was irresponsible and I'm sorry. I should not have allowed my desires to take control of my heart. I have no excuse for what I did but I promise you, from this day forth, I'll learn to control my wants because I don't want to lose you over something that can be fixed. Will you forgive me?"

Winry sat up and looked up at him with hopeful eyes. She never thought Ed would admit to wanting an intimate future with her. He was never the type to share his personal feelings. 'Maybe we both have matured over the last month…'

She gently pressed her lips to his for a short moment then said, "Yes. I'll forgive you. Now, can I say something?"

"Go for it." Ed said as stroked her back.

"Ed, I'm sorry for what I did too. I shouldn't have made you strip that morning to get rid of Colonel Mustang. I didn't realize the possible outcomes besides laughing at Mustang. I didn't think it through and shouldn't have made the situation easier for you to submit to such desires. After it happened, I was so confused. I know that someday I want us to share our love intimately but I wasn't ready and didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to expect either.

"Riza helped me shed some light on the situation and told me that each person is sexually different. I realized that the reason I was so worried wasn't because of where we were heading, but because I only had one experience to compare it to. Deep down I knew you would never intentionally hurt me but that still didn't stop me from feeling uncomfortable. I love you Ed and I don't want to ever lose you over a mistake. We will make tons of them together but we just need to pull through and wait for the happy ending. I know that sometime soon, you will have to leave to continue you search and despite how upset I may feel when you leave, I understand it's something you need to do and I don't want to hold you back from progressing."

"Winry, I told you, you aren't holding me back. Besides, Al and I were thinking and hoping you would come with us when we leave. A change in scenery would be good for you."

"I'd be a distraction." She replied.

"No you won't. Besides, you want to learn combat right? You want to learn to defend yourself in case you don't have a wrench by your side?"

She nodded.

"Then come with us. Al and I will teach you how to fight. We spar almost every morning if we aren't preoccupied. I've never told anyone this, not even Al, but whenever I'm with you, I feel stronger. It's like I get a second wind. I would rather know you are safe with me than to find out something's happened while I was away. I don't want to go through that again, Winry. I know you don't either. And don't worry about any expenses. I'll pay for them. If you need something, I'll buy it for you." Ed answered.

"C-can I think about it?" Winry asked.

"Of course. There isn't a rush." Ed replied, kissing the top of her head.

"T-Thank you." She muttered before giving him a goodnight kiss. "I love you, Ed."

"I love you too, Winry." He whispered before sleep took over the exhausted teens.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**BACK IN RISEMBOOL **

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN LIEUTENANT!?" Mustang shouted the moment Riza stepped into the door.

"No need to shout, Sir. Winry asked me to take her to Dublith, so I did." She replied after saluting.

"You could have left a note!"

"I felt it was unnecessary since I knew I'd be back before sunrise."

"For all I knew, you and Winry were abducted by Drachmans!" he complained.

"That would highly be unlikely, Sir, since they would have to get over the Briggs Wall before even thinking about coming to Amestris. Besides, Winry left a note for her grandmother to explain her absence. I thought you would have been smart enough to know there's no way I would have allowed her to walk such a distance."

"Well—guess what, I didn't!" Roy exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Sir, I am perfectly capable by myself and do not need to inform anyone where I need to go. Especially when you don't need my services!"

Roy opted for a counterattack but decided against it, knowing she'd probably shoot him if he continued to pester her. "Did she arrive at her destination safely?"

"Affirmative." Riza partially lied, not wanting Roy to yell at her for allowing Winry to run partly there.

"Very well. Fullmetal better not take his time returning. I have a lot to discuss with him."

"Why don't we return to Central? You can easily leave a note for Ed to call you at the office. Honestly, I don't remember why you wanted to visit in the first place." Riza stated.

"Because, I wanted to drag him to Central myself! He neglected some of his duties by staying here."

"Sir, wouldn't it be for the best that you give Ed two more weeks? As you can clearly see, Winry has still some mental recovering to do and Ed is the only one who can help her find her strength."

"I'll give him the two extra weeks but he must return once they are up. I think we should stay and see how everything pans out. Besides, I want to tell him myself."

"I understand, Sir." Riza replied.

"In the meantime, why don't you and I have some fun?" Roy smirked.

Riza rolled her eyes. "What did you have in mind, Sir?"

"We could go for a swim?" he suggested.

"We do not have the proper swimwear, Sir." She replied.

"Who said anything about swimwear? You don't need a bathing suit to swim, Riza."

"You do if you have principles and don't want to break them for one occasion."

"Or, if you don't want to swim….We could fool around."

"Honestly, Sir, stop trying to surpass what happens in your fantasies." Riza stated before walking into the house.

'Damn. Why does she always have to play hard-to-get?! She knows she wants me!' Mustang thought as he chased Riza into the house.

"Riza! We weren't finished talking!" he said as he barged into Winry's room.

"Roy, there's nothing to talk about. Now if you please, I was up almost all night driving back here so I would like to have a decent amount of sleep!" she stated as she unclipped her hair.

"And I was waiting up almost all night so I wouldn't get some kind of police report that you were hacked into pieces! I mean, Come on! You should have at least left a note!"

"I told you, Roy! I don't need a babysitter! And besides, didn't you notice the car gone?" she asked.

"You never know if someone had a gun up to your head and made you drive." Roy replied.

"Puh-lease, Roy. Give me some credit. If there was anyone trying to abduct me in any way, I would have shot him! You know I never walk unarmed!"

Suddenly, Roy wrapped his arms around her and said, "I know…I'm sorry. It's just…There's a lot of corrupted things out there right now. And worst of all, I had to pull a lot of strings to release you from your duties to come here with me. You know that."

"Yes and I appreciate that but why risk everything for one trip? You could have easily come here yourself." Riza asked with curiosity.

"The Fuhrer has you under lock and key and we both know what he's capable of. Luckily, he knows that as long as you're directly serving him, I won't do anything rash. That's why he allowed me this once to let you accompany me on this trip."

"I know." She replied.

Roy still did not release his hold on Riza.

"I looked into those police reports. I wanted to check and see if that Mr. Amsel had anything to do with the military."

"What did you find out?"

"Nothing. This guy must be someone whose constantly been changing his name whenever he went from town to town. Ironically enough, he used his birth given name when he came to Risembool. But aside from been a serial rapist and killer, nothing. But I guess it shouldn't really matter. He's dead after all."

"Yes. Men like that deserve to die." Riza replied.

"Yeah." He responded, holding her tighter.

"Roy? Why're you still hugging me?"

"I miss you, Riza. The office seems empty without you." He responded.

"We work in the same building, Roy. It isn't like we can't eat lunch together. The Fuhrer has to fake appearances too. He can separate us by making me his assistant but if he got too carried away, the rest of the military would notice."

"It isn't the same. I trusted you with my back, Riza. How can you keep me in line when you're busy delivering the Fuhrer his tea?"

"Because if I find out you did something completely off the path of your goal, I will shoot you. You know I always keep to my word." Riza replied. 'And then I'd shoot myself and follow you to your grave.'

Roy released Riza and said "Have a nice sleep."

"Where're you going?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm going to take an early morning walk. I would like to do some light thinking." He smiled.

"Okay. Just don't forget to take an umbrella to keep your gloves dry. Remember? You're useless in rain."

"Oh come on. Do you have to say that every time it rains? I mean, it's a bit redundant! Rain doesn't need to be a drawback, you know. There are several good things about the rain. Just like the stars help you reminisce, the rain reminds me I'm just Roy." he stated as he started walking out the door.

"Just be careful, Roy." She smiled before closing the door.

But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't sleep. Something was nagging at her mind. 'You need to tell him, Riza! When else would you get a chance? You don't even know if you'll come out of this upcoming battle alive!'

She slipped out of the bed and looked into the mirror. 'It wouldn't be professional…I'll just have to wait…'

She turned back to her bed but saw Roy strolling in the fields as the rain drizzled on his head. 'That stupid moron! He forgot an umbrella!' she exclaimed as she slipped on her white blouse and black skirt along with her shoes. She grabbed the umbrella in her purse but something stopped her from calling out his name. 'He's not wearing his uniform! Nor his gloves! H-he's never gone anywhere without wearing his gloves!'

Then she remembered what he said. _"Just like the stars help you reminisce, the rain reminds me I'm just Roy." _'Maybe I should tell him…because it is times like these we need to cherish.'

Without thinking, she rushed outside to find him. 'He was just here a moment ago! Where did he g—'

"Riza? What're you doing out here in this rain? I thought you wanted rest." Roy said as he noticed how beautiful she looked with her wet hair and clothes clinging to her skin.

"I need to tell you something." She said as she spun around towards his direction but her shoe sunk into the mud, causing her to lose her balance. Roy caught her before she could fall forwards and she looked into his eyes with a look she's never given him before.

She kicked off her shoes and literally leaped up to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. Taken back by surprise, Roy's eyes widened as her lips melted with his. He then eased his tension and wrapped his arms around her back to support her weight and kissed her back.

She then released his lips and said, "I love you, Roy."

He smiled and brought his lips back to hers before saying, "Well it certainly took you long enough. What clued you in?"

"When you said that rain makes you remember that you're just Roy because you are temporarily released from your alchemic responsibilities by default. If for now you're just Roy Mustang, then I'm just Riza Hawkeye." She whispered into his ear.

She kissed him again and added, "I realized we should be living our life in the moment and because of our military duties and the upcoming battle, there may not be another time."

"We'll get sick if we stay out here any longer." Roy whispered into her ear.

She nodded as she allowed him to pick her up and carry her back to the Roy's guest room.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Roy kissed Riza on the forehead as she stroked his chest and whispered, "I love you, Riza."

She smiled. She's always yearned for him to say those words and never thought he'd ever say it. "I promise that no matter what, I'll stick by you, Roy. I promised I would be by your side when you have your chance to lead this country and I stand by that promise even now."

"I know you will. You only have one order from me as the Colonel as well as Roy Mustang. Whatever happens, don't die." He said as he slipped off the bed and pulled on his boxers.

"Where're you going?" she asked.

"Well, I figured that the other two would be up by now. It would be rude to miss breakfast, don't you think?" Roy asked.

"You wanna know what I was thinking?" Riza asked, sitting up and allowing the sheets to fall from her covered chest.

"What?" Roy smirked. "Is it kinky?"

"It might be." She laughed as she walked over to him. 'He'll never change…'

Riza grabbed the sheets and wrapped it around her. "We should clean up."

"When saying that, you mean shower together?" Roy asked.

"Of course, Silly. What else could it mean?" She asked as she walked towards the bathroom. "I'll be waiting."

Roy stood there in complete shock. 'Jeesh. I finally sleep with the love of my life and I can't even function properly.'

After a few moments of trying to focus his train of thought, he finally made his way to the bathroom.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**DUBLITH :)**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"GET UP YOU TWO! NO ONE SLEEPS PAST EIGHT IN THIS HOUSE!" Izumi shouted to wake up Ed and Winry from a long night of pleasant sleeping.

"Five more minutes…" Winry mumbled as she snuggled closer to Ed's chest.

Suddenly Izumi grabbed the mattress from under them and flipped it over. "TIME'S UP!"

Ed growled. "CAN'T YOU SEE WE'RE SLEEPING HERE?!"

"NOT ANYMORE! I NEED YOU TO GO TO THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND PAY FOR A PERSON TO FIX MY WALL!"

"ME?! JUST USE ALCHEMY TO FIX IT, DAMMIT!" Ed replied.

"IF YOU USE ALCHEMY, YOU WON'T LEARN ANYTHING! ALCHEMY SHOULDN'T BE A WAY TO CHEAT OUT OF YOUR PROBLEMS! NOW GET DRESSED AND GO NOW BEFORE I ALCHEMIZE YOU INTO THE WALL!" she shouted before leaving.

"C-can she d-do that?" Winry asked as she helped him push the mattress back to its original position.

"Who knows what she can do. Most of the things she says she can do defy the laws of Alchemy. But then again, who knows what she's accomplished." Ed replied as he slipped on his boots. "Yeah, this is the only thing I brought to wear so I might smell a little."

"Don't worry. I'm in the same boat as you." Winry laughed.

The two went to the repair shop and Ed paid for the replacement of that wall before they took their leave from Dublith.

"We'll take the train, Winry. It'll be faster." He said as they arrived to the station.

"Okay." Winry replied.

"Ed, I hope Granny isn't mad at me for leaving suddenly." Winry stated as they sat in their booth.

"Don't worry about it. If she's mad at anybody, it would be me." Ed replied as he patted her head. Winry wrapped her arms around his flesh one and leaned into him.

"Okay. Oh and I thought about your offer." Winry smiled.

"Well?"

"I've decided to stay home." She spoke.

"Oh?" Ed asked with disappointment.

"Yeah…Just hear me out, Ed. Okay?"

"Alright. Fair enough."

"I thought about it and at first, I wanted to go. But then I realized that if I went, I'd be neglecting my duties as an automail engineer. I have patients in Risembool who also need me. Also, you said that I'm your reason for returning home so I want to continue being that reason. All I have to do is picture you with me and I'll be fine.

"I've realized that time is limited and I want you to do the best you can to search for answers. I'll be in Risembool when you want to come home and I'll always be a phone call away. As you continue to progress with finding answers, I'll work hard and make the best automail I can. That way, when you do come home, you can have the best offered. If something happens, I'll call you. I won't wait until you get home if I need you. I promise."

"Okay. You promise?" Ed asked.

"Every word. And I promise I won't cry again until you and Al restore your bodies."

"Then I accept your promises." Ed grinned.

The two sat in silence for a good thirty minutes until Ed said, "Winry?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you also make another promise?"

"What?"

"Take all your things as well as Granny and move away from Amestris until I send you word."

Winry silently laughed and replied, "Ed. I'm not going to hide in another country simply because you think it is the best decision for me. If something happens to this country, I know you'll do your hardest to fix it."

"And what if I don't?"

But Winry didn't answer. She just grabbed his neck and abruptly pulled his lips to hers, giving him the idea that she didn't want to discuss it anymore. So he gave in and kissed her the entire ride to Risembool.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Ed and Winry walked into the Rockbell house and Ed received a punch in the face from Alphonse.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR, AL?!"

"WHY THE HECK DID YOU LEAVE WITHOUT ME?! ALL I GET WAS A MESSAGE FROM MUSTANG THAT YOU'D BE BACK WITHIN FOUR DAYS! I'M YOUR BROTHER, ED! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO TELL ME!"

"Jeesh Al! Quit yelling! I'm back aren't I? And Winry is back too. I made sure she came home safely." Ed replied. 'Why does everyone seem to have me on their freaking hit list?'

"You two have better not have done anything that would result in a painful removal of a certain appendage, Ed." Pinako stated.

"Granny!" Winry blushed. "Give us some credit!"

"Yeah Microminnie. Listen to Winry. But you hear this. When we DO _DO IT_, we won't make it so damn obvious that the whole world would know before the day is out!" he said while blushing.

"Do what?" Al asked, confused.

Ed froze. 'Crap. I haven't told Al about any of that stuff!'

"Oh nothing my dearest brother! Nothing at all!" Ed goofily grinned. 'There's no way in hell I'm going to tell him about it soon. Heck, he doesn't have a body yet so it isn't like he needs to know right now…'

"Granny? Where's Riza. I want to let her know I made it home safely." Winry asked.

"Don't know. She came home early this morning and has been sleeping probably since." She replied.

"Oh. I'll tell her later." Winry stated.

"Where's that bastard of a colonel?" Ed asked, looking around the room.

"He also hasn't woken up yet." Pinako replied. "We heard the shower go off around 8 this morning but neither of them came down stairs."

"Oh well. If he sleeps in, that's one less problem I have to worry about." Ed stated, not putting two and two together.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Al, go wake up the colonel and tell him dinner is ready. Afterwards, wake up Riza." Pinako stated.

"Yes ma'am!" Al replied and clanked up the stairs.

He knocked on the door of the guest room and said, "Colonel?"

No answer.

Al opened the door and saw the Colonel on top of Riza. Not even realizing that Roy was buck naked, he said, "Colonel! You're crushing her! She needs to breathe!"

He pulled Roy off of Riza and screamed at what he saw, knocking the two lovebirds out of their trance.

"ALPHONSE! HAVEN'T YOU HEARD OF KNOCKING!?" Roy shouted as he placed his arm on top of Riza's chest to shield her from Al's nearly-innocent eyes.

"I did knock! I'm sorry! I thought you were accidently crushing her!"

"What's going on?!" Ed yelled as he entered the room, followed by Winry. Suddenly, Winry turned completely red and Ed was speechless.

"EVERYONE OUT!" Mustang shouted, making everyone bolt for their lives.

He sighed in embarrassment. "Sorry Riza. I didn't think to lock the door."

"Looks like Ed will have some explaining to do…" she replied. "We better get dressed anyway. We skipped breakfast and lunch. We should really eat dinner."

"Right." Roy replied as he slipped off of her.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"W-what w-were they doing?" Al asked, mentally scarred.

"They were….well…they were….Hey Winry?! Care to help me out on this?!" Ed asked, desperately.

"Nope. You're on your own on this one. You should have told him when he was thirteen! That's when I found out!"

"Well, at that time, we weren't really worried about that kind of stuff!" Ed shouted, blushing.

"What's so embarrassing about it? It's a natural thing, Ed." Winry replied as she sat next to him.

"Then you explain it! I'm afraid I'll say all the wrong things."

"Jeesh! You're hopeless sometimes!" Winry slapped her head. "Al, what you saw was sex."

"You don't have to be so forward! I thought you'd ease into it!"

"What's the problem?! Either way, he'll be told what it is!" Winry argued and then turned back to Al. "You see, when a man and a woman love each other and want to spend their life together, they have what's called sex. It's very straightforward. A girl has an open system and a boy has a closed system. They're like puzzle pieces, got it?" Winry asked.

Al nodded.

As Winry continued explaining it and Al finally understood.

"Winry?"

"Yes, Al?"

"You said that two people who love each other so much and want to spend their lives together, they have sex."

"I did say that." Winry replied.

"Then does that mean you and Brother have had sex?" Al asked.

"AL! THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU ASK PEOPLE! AND NO! WE HAVEN'T!" Ed shouted, completely embarrassed.

Winry blushed. "When I said that, I mean when those two people are both ready for it. It can be a pleasant experience if both are ready but it can also be a horrible experience." She looked downward.

"Like how?" Al asked but Ed glared at him, telling him to drop the subject. "I mean, Oh. So, Winry, are you coming with us on our journey?"

"No. I decided to stay at home but thanks for asking, Al." Winry smiled. "Dinner's ready you two."

**鋼の錬金術****師**

The dinner was an awkward one indeed. Neither person was talking due to their embarrassment from earlier.

Suddenly, to ease the tension, Roy said, "I'll be giving you two weeks, Fullmetal. After that, you must return to Central."

"Right. Thanks." Ed replied.

"Well, dinner was lovely but I think Roy and I have overstayed our welcome. We'll be finding a hotel tonight."

"You don't have to go so soon." Pinako said.

"No. I think it's for the best that we do. Roy and I need to leave tomorrow morning anyways and return to Central." Riza stated.

"Very well. Have a safe trip." Pinako said before getting up to start on the dishes.

"Thanks for everything, Riza." Winry said. "I'm sorry for earlier as well."

"Don't worry about it. It happens. We weren't careful so it is our fault to begin with. Don't sweat it." Riza smiled and said to Roy, "I'll be in the car."

"Okay." Roy replied and then said to Ed and Al, "If I hear anything about what just happened beyond these house walls, I will certainly make it my life's purpose to torture you until death."

"I wouldn't dream of ever speaking of such a scarring site to anyone." Ed said. "Besides, no one would believe it anyways."

"Still! I mean it!"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't burn yourself up about it." Ed stated before the Flame Alchemist left.

"Well…what an interesting turn of events…Must be the rain." Pinako muttered under her breath. In fact, she purposely sent Al up there because that was the only way he'd ever learn about Sexual Intercourse. 'They'll never ever figure it out either.' She smirked.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" Ed asked as he, Al and Winry walked to the train station.

"Yes. I'll be fine." Winry smiled and tightened her grip on his hand.

"Okay…well here's the number of my quarters in Central. Call if you need anything. I reckon we'll be there for at least a week. After that, I'll call you and tell you where I'm headed off next."

"Mhmm!" Winry smiled, glad to know that Ed is willing actually pick up a phone and call for reasons other than maintenance. "Oh and here's an oilcan in case the joints in your arm and leg need lubrication."

"Thanks." Ed said as they reached the station.

"TRAIN WILL BE LEAVING IN FIVE MINUTES!" The conductor shouted.

"Brother, I'll go save us a seat on the train." Al stated as he left. He wanted to give his brother and Winry some alone time before they depart.

Winry wrapped her arms around Ed and said, "Don't forget to call when you get there, okay?"

"I won't." Ed replied while rolling his eyes. That was the fifth time she's told him.

"I'm being serious! I don't want to wait an entire two months just to find out if you're okay." Winry replied.

"Fine. I'll call alright!" he said abruptly.

"Well you better get going. The train will be leaving soon." Winry stated.

He placed his thumb and forefinger on her chin and brought her lips up to his. "I love you, Winry Rockbell. Promise me you'll smile when you're having a bad day, okay?"

"I promise." Winry smiled. "You promise me something, okay?"

"What?"

"Don't come home until you've restored yours and Al's bodies." Winry stated boldly.

"I-I don't know if I can make that promise." Ed said. "That could be months of separation."

"It won't be. I have faith." Winry smiled. Ed smiled a true smile back to her, realizing that this is the Winry he's tried so hard to bring back. 'She has her shine back!'

Ed kissed her once more before releasing her to walk inside the train, found his seat but opened the window and shouted towards Winry, "I PROMISE! THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE AL AND I, YOU'LL HAVE TEARS OF JOY TO CRY ABOUT BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE OUR BODIES BACK!"

"YOU BETTER! OR I'LL BASH YOU IN THE HEAD WITH MY WRENCH!" Winry yelled back before shouting, "I LOVE YOU EDWARD ELRIC AND DON'T YOU DARE FORGET IT!"

"I WON'T!" he gave her a thumb-up as the train rolled away.

Winry smiled despite how much she already missed him. "I'll smile for you, Ed. I'll always smile for you."

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"You're grinning pretty widely, Brother. Does she really have that much of an effect on you?" Al asked.

"Yeah…She does. I'm glad she's back to normal, Al. She finally has her shine back and when we return with our bodies intact, her shine will glow brighter than ever before."

"If you say so Brother." Al laughed. "If you ask me, if it weren't for you and the attention you gave her, she probably would have never found her shine."

"Maybe so. Now, once this train stops in Central, you and I won't rest until we get closer to the truth!"

"Is that so?" Al asked.

"Yes because I promised her that the next time we come home, we'd be completely restored. And that's a promise I'll keep even if it almost kills me." Ed smiled, truly happy and actually anxious to go to Central.

"The road will be tough, Brother. But with the two of us, we'll figure it out." Al replied, happy that his brother finally is looking forward to life after their current journey. 'If only he knew how whipped Winry has him right now.'

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Epilogue before the Epilogue**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Ed was able to keep his promise. Within three months, he and Al returned home with their bodies back. Well mostly. Al did regain his body. Edward, on the other hand, still has his metal leg but hey, he can't complain when he is still able to walk on his own feet.

Winry also kept her promise by crying joyful tears when the Elric brothers returned home. She ran to them and gave them a big hug, happy to finally see them home.

"I'm glad you're back, Al!" she exclaimed! "You've gotten pretty tall!"

"Nah…I've only grown about four inches. Brother, on the other hand, can finally say he's taller than me."

Winry looked at Ed and smiled, "Yeah…he can finally add that to his Ego Scale."

"I already have!" Ed laughed.

"Let's go inside, Winry. Then we can explain to you everything that happened." Al suggested as he stood up and walked inside.

"I missed you." Winry whispered.

"I missed you too." Ed replied before wrapping his arms around her as she planted her lips firmly on his.

Al went outside to drag them in but smiled at the kissing couple. "I'll let them be for a while." And turned around to go find Pinako and Den.

Winry did not stop kissing Ed. She unraveled his hair from his ponytail and ran her fingers through his hair and said after a while, "Welcome home."

"Thanks Win. It's good to be home." He replied before pulling her back for more kisses.

Winry lifted up for one second and said, "I love you."

"I love you too." Ed smiled as Winry pressed her swollen lips back to his. They both knew that life would be alright from now on because they had each other to share it with. Ed smirked and thought to himself, 'I'm glad her radiance is shining brighter than ever.'

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**KEIKOFUJIWARA: **

**WELL THIS WAS THE LAST PART UNTIL THE ACTUAL EPILOGUE!  
HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED IT THUS FAR!**

**:)**


	6. Epilogue

**SPECIAL NOTE ^_^**

**I would like to thank everyone for their reviews/favorites/alerts for my recent Fullmetal Alchemist, Her Shine. ^_^ I really tried my best to write what I thought would be essential and would make a great story. **

**Sadly, **

**All great things must come to an end Q.Q**

**Oh and I must say, I spend most of my day on YouTube watching FMA(B) character panels and I have to say, the stories that Travis Willingham (Mustang) and Vic Mignogna (Ed) tell are freakin' hilarious! YOU MUST CHECK OUT Travis's Pudding Story and the story of his worst injury. IT IS AWESOME! You also should check out Vic's panels (ALL OF THEM) because HE IS AMAZING! Don't get me wrong, Travis is as equally amazing but for different reasons ^_^. **

**There is a panel where Vic (Ed) proposes to Caitlyn (Winry). It is sooooo sweet and hilariously funny! They will give your stomachs quite the work out :)**

**ANYHOO….**

**I must conclude my story and so this will be the last 'part' for Her Shine. I hope you have enjoyed reading it and I also hope you choose to read it again and again :). I know I have (even though I've written it haha). It's one thing to write it, and it is completely different to read it after you write it because then you can be like: WOAH! I WROTE THAT! SWEET! THIS IS FREAKISHLY AWESOME! .**

**Well, again, thanks for reading this story. It has been a blast writing it and hopefully I can write more just as or even better than Her Shine. Please feel free to check out my other Fanfictions. **

**One last announcement before I conclude Her Shine. **

**I HAVE A FICTIONPRESS ACCOUNT: DreamWriter001 **

**Also a YouTube Account: DreamWriter001**

**Feel free to check my stuff ^_^**

**~Keiko Fujiwara~**

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST IN ANYWAY! **

**Rated M for a specific section in Chapter 1**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**Her Shine**

Keiko Fujiwara

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**EPILOGUE**

**~Three Years after the End of the Anime/Manga~**

**Q.Q**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

_Ding Dong_

"I'll get it!" Ed yelled as he got up from his usual reading position.

He walked over to the door and opened it to find Alphonse and Mei waiting at the door.

"Alphonse! What a big surprise! I thought you said you two wouldn't be able to visit for another three months." Ed stated as he let his two guests in.

"Well, that's what we thought too but I was able to put a pause on my research sooner than expected. We decided to visit and see how you and Winry are doing." Al replied, scratching his head.

"We're doing great! Winry's as healthy as a horse. No surprise there." Ed smiled. "By the way, I forgot to mention something in our last phone call."

"What is it, Brother?" Al asked as he and Mei sat down in the living room.

"Well…First of all, don't b—"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wrench went flying from the kitchen and cracked Ed's skull. Ed peeled the wrench from his head and gritted his teeth as well as clenched his hands. "Like I said, we're doing great."

"EDWARD ELRIC! HOW MANY TIMES DID I TELL YOU NOT TO PUT YOUR BOOTS ON THE CARPET!?" screamed Winry as she waddled into the living room. "YOU KNOW IT'S PRETTY DAMN HARD TO BEND DOWN WITH THIS LARGE MELON IN MY ABDOMAN SO IT WOULD DO ME A GREAT DEAL IF YOU COULD PICK UP YOUR SLACK!"

"You see, Al, Winry…well…just look at her. She's pregnant." Ed stated as he stood up to walk towards the fuming pregnant woman.

"HOW CAN YOU FORGET A DETAIL SUCH AS THAT!? I'M YOUR BROTHER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! AT LEAST YOU WOULD HAVE HAD THE DECENSY TO CALL BACK ONCE YOU REMEMBERED!" Al shouted.

"SORRY! BUT I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF WE SURPRISED YOU WHEN YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO VISIT!" Ed replied.

As the brothers started having a rant battle, Mei walked over to Winry and smiled, "Congratulations!"

"Thanks Mei." Winry smiled as she rubbed her stomach.

"How far along are you?" Mei asked as she eyed Winry's tummy.

"I'm about 6 months." She replied. "Come, let's go talk while the BOYS catch up."

Mei followed Winry into the family room and took a seat beside the mechanic.

"Has it really been one and a half years since you and Edward married?" Mei asked as she noticed the wedding picture sitting on a small table.

"Yes, it has. I can hardly believe it myself." Winry laughed. "Despite how immature Ed is at times and how sloppy he can be, I never regretted marrying him. He was my best decision."

"I'm sure. You two are always so happy together." Mei stated. "By the way, how did Edward propose?"

"Well…" Winry said as she began to tell the story.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**FLASHBACK (3****rd**** PERSON)**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry rocked back and forth as she sat on the swing. She did that a lot lately. Especially since it's been almost two years since Ed's departure. 'I hope he's doing okay. I mean, he hasn't come once to have a maintenance check...'

She sighed as she leaned forward. 'Too bad Den can't enjoy the pond like he used to.' She thought as she petted Den on the head. Poor Den lost his eyesight about a year ago and now has to be walked on a leash if he needs to go anywhere.

Winry wrapped her favorite red coat around her as the breeze started to blow. "You said two years no matter what Ed. I'm going to hold you to that promise. I've had enough promises broken to last a life time. I don't need another one." She said out loud.

"Aw. Come on, Winry. Give me some credit."

Winry froze. 'Could it—'

She felt his warm voice tickle her ear as he whispered, "Hey. I told you I'd be back."

Winry look upward to find none other than Edward Elric hovering above her. Without thinking she wrapped her arms around his neck and clasped her fingers together. Ed slipped one hand behind her back and another behind her knees before easily pulling her over the swing seat. As he took a step backwards, he lost his footing and fell on his back with Winry smack down on top of him.

Winry squeezed him as hard as possible as she practically shouted, "You're back!"

"You've got quite the grip!" Ed stated, pretty surprised.

"Well, besides working with Automail for the past two years, I had to start carrying Den up and down the stairs when he wanted to be with me. You see, he's losing his eyesight and he isn't exactly a light weight dog." Winry replied.

"Oh." Ed said as he placed a lock of her hair behind her ear. Winry took almost no time at all to bring her mouth to his. She has waited two years to feel his lips against hers and she didn't want to wait another minute.

Ed wrapped his arms around Winry's waist and pulled her closer to him as they continued to interlock their lips.

"I missed you." Winry whispered into his ear as his lips traveled up and down her neck. He paused for a brief second and said, "I missed you too, Winry."

Den swaggered over to them, wanting to go home. He literally stumbled over their legs as he tried to make his way towards the path home.

"I'm so sorry, Den! I forgot you were still here!" Winry exclaimed as she helped Den back to his feet.

"You want to go back to the house?" Ed asked.

"Yeah…That may be for the best." Winry smiled as she picked up Den's abandoned leash and started to gently tug the dog with her.

Ed snaked his arm around the small of her back and pulled her towards him. Winry smiled at his gesture and wrapped her free hand around the middle of his back.

As they walked, Winry said, "By the way, General Mustang and Riza finally married."

"They did! That's great! Now he will have to behave himself!" Ed grinned.

"Yeah…They married about a year ago and they already have a baby girl."

"Wait—Mustang spawned a little devil?"

"Don't say that, Ed. Rizalynn is such a sweet little girl. General Mustang spoils her rotten though. He acts just like Maes Hughes did with Elicia."

"That's even worse! He'll raise her up to be just like him—demanding! She'll order people around and if she has Hawkeye's glare, she'll be able to make anyone bow to her!"

Winry giggled. "Ed, she's only two months old. I doubt she'll start any trouble anytime soon."

"Oh it'll happen. It'll happen when you least expect it! One cute little Mustang girl will jump out and eat your liver if you aren't careful!"

Winry rolled her eyes and said, "Well, I expect you to spoil your future children rotten!"

"Oh don't worry, Winry. I will. I don't ever want them to know what it is like without a father."

"I'm sure." Winry replied, leaning her head against his arm.

When they returned to the Rockbell house, Ed noticed something—Pinako wasn't around.

"Where's the ole bat?" Ed asked as Winry unclicked the leash from Den's collar.

"She had to go to Rush Valley for a few days to gather some supplies that couldn't be ordered from the local store." Winry replied.

"Oh. Why didn't you go with her?"

"Because…someone had to be here for Den. He can't rely on his self to get around anymore. I also volunteered to stay home in case you arrived. Which you did." She smiled.

Ed took a seat on the couch and Winry sat right next to him, their sides touching. She leaned against his arm and wrapped her arms around it. "So, tell me about your journey. I want to know everything!"

"Well that's going to take all night." Ed laughed.

"I've got time." She smiled.

"Well, I went to the west to Creta and discovered that they have a similar skill to Alchemy except their skills are more of a combination of Alchemy and Alkahestry. You see, Alchemy is based on Equivalent Exchange. Alkahestry has similar roots but instead of focusing on exchanging matter, they borrow energy from surrounding four basic elements. They don't really exchange energy for energy. They borrow energy from a source and use that energy to either heal wounds or fight. So basically the source is the output, the Alkahestrian _**(A/N: What are they called? O.o) **_is the medium and the object of interest is the input. Does that make sense?"

"No…but I don't think it ever will. Just continue." Winry laughed.

"Okay…well, since the Cretians couldn't really speak Amestrian language, I pretty much had to observe everything they did. As I observed, I decided a name for it myself since I didn't understand them. I called it Alchemestry."

"How original." Winry rolled her eyes and giggled.

"The Cretians were able to not only borrow energy from a source, but they could also apply Equivalent Exchange. They could create something from an equal amount of matter and substance as well as provide energy to what they've created. For example, if Mustang was an Alchemestrian, he wouldn't only be able to create fire with his gloves, but he could amplify the fire's power and effect by borrowing energy from one of the four basic elements. It was really hard to know exactly what they're doing since I couldn't understand the people or their books. But, by simply observing, I was able to grasp the general idea. This is similar to what Al and I have been working on. Take ten, give back eleven."

"Sounds like you had fun." Winry replied.

"I did. It was a great learning experience. Someday, Al and I will combine what we have learned and then see if we can find a way to combine Alchemy and Alkahestry our own way." Ed stated.

Winry sat up and scooted to where she could face him. "Do you miss it?"

"Miss what?" Ed asked.

"Alchemy….do you miss being able to transmute."

"Well, I can't say life has been easy without it. But, I realized that I don't need Alchemy to solve my problems. But yeah, there have been times I wished I had it and who knows, maybe Al and I might be able to get it back. Someday…but not any time soon."

"Oh…So you're not done traveling." Winry sadly stated.

"No….I'm not…but when I do go, I'm not going alone." Ed replied, slightly blushing.

"I'm sure Al wouldn't want to let you travel alone! I mean, he feels somewhat responsible for you giving up your Alchemy to save him."

Ed started laughing.

"What's so funny?!"

"I already told Al what I plan on doing. He told me that if I take even so much of a step without him, he would personally call you to throw a wrench at my face." Ed snickered.

"I still don't see the humor in it." Winry replied.

"Well, do you want to know what I told him?"

"What?"

"I told him in these exact words: I'm your older brother and if I want to take a journey, I'll take it! Besides, I think our brotherly journeys are over."

"You said that?! That was very rude of you! What did he say?"

"He only laughed. He knew I'd say something like that. He actually was testing me to see if I'd actually fall for his trap."

"Did you?"

"Nope. I gave him the right answer." Ed answered smugly.

"What did you say?" Winry asked, curious.

"I said: Don't get me wrong, Al. Our journeys together were fun and all but I'm pretty sure you'd rather be in Xing with your lady friend. Besides, I won't be alone." Ed said. He was taking his conversation with Al one step at a time to try to keep Winry guessing.

"Oh? Who will you be traveling with? General Mustang?"

"Hah! As if! I would die before I ever go with him somewhere!" Ed fumed.

Winry laughed, knowing he'd blow a gasket at the sound of Mustang's name.

"Then who?" she begged.

"Well, I finished off the conversation by: …Besides I won't be alone. I'm gonna be accompanied by Mrs. Edward Elric and little runts, if there are any."

Winry first didn't catch his little hint and said, "That sounds like it'll be a fun jou—Wait! Mrs. Edward Elric? Little runts?"

"Yeah…but in order to even have a Mrs. Edward Elric, I have to do something first."

Winry silently gasped as she remembered Edward's promise two years prior.

Ed slid off the sofa and knelt to one knee. "Winry, we made a promise a few years ago to have an Equivalent Exchange once I returned from the West. Most Equivalent Exchanges can be reversed if the alchemist decides to alter the exchange and return what was taken. But this is an Equivalent Exchange in which I would like to make permanent. Like I promised, I am willing to give you half—no—all of my life if you if you are willing to give me all of your life too." He pulled out a small velvet box and opened it, revealing a very simple yet beautiful diamond ring. _**(NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT THE RING LOOKS LIKE, GO TO MY PROFILE PAGE AND FIND THE LATEST POST FOR 8/20/2012!) **_

Winry placed her hands on her mouth as she saw the stunning ring.

"Winry, I am willing to love you and cherish you every day for the rest of our lives as a husband should and will love you in all your forms. Will you m—"

"YES!"

"You didn't let me fini—wait, you will?!" Ed asked with pure joy.

"Of course, Silly! Remember? I already told you I would give you whatever percentage you were willing to offer!" Winry exclaimed.

"So…you just let me talk on and on when you could have easily intercepted and given me a direct answer?" Ed asked, laughing.

"Your speech was intriguing and well-said. I couldn't interrupt that! Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…I was just very excited." She beamed as he slid the ring on her finger.

Ed sat next to her again and before he knew it, Winry stood up and sat back down but in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck as leaned downward to kiss her. Suddenly, Ed remembered a certain gift he had in his bag.

He lifted his lips from hers and said, "I brought you something."

"What?" Winry asked as her head spun.

"You'll see." He smirked as he stood up, still carrying her. He walked them over to his bag and he pulled a silver wrench out of it. "I bought this for you, Winry. I want you to replace your current wrench with this one to symbolize the new life you and I will share."

"Oh Ed! It is absolutely beautiful!" she squealed as she brought the wrench to her cheek and hugged it.

"I knew you'd like it, you Grease Monkey. Don't lose it or abuse it by the way. It was a fortune." Ed laughed.

"Don't think you're going to get out of ever being wrenched, Fullmetal. I still have my old one I can use!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Absolutely! Before we marry, I want you to realize what you're getting into, Mister. I mean, you must understand that I'm no ordinary woman."

"And I'm no ordinary man either. I know exactly what I'm getting myself into, Win. I know there will be tough times for us because we like to disagree a lot but, despite both of our—I mean my flaws, I will love you regardless." Ed spoke.

"Nice save." Winry replied. "So…are you planning on finding a way to restore your leg too?"

"Nah…I'm used to the automail and it comes in handy when people try to shoot my foot off. Also, if I did restore my leg, you wouldn't be very happy. I know how much you love tinkering with my leg."

Suddenly Winry blushed.

"Why're you blushing?" Ed asked, curious.

"Oh! Um….I…erm….I was just thinking what it would be like to tinker with your leg once we're married…I mean….well…in the past…you were….well you know….You were in boxers….."

Ed thought for a second, trying to piece her statement together and smirked. "Oh I see. You're thinking about tinkering with my leg while I'm in my birthday suit."

Winry blushed harder.

Ed started howling with laughter at Winry's expression.

"IT ISN'T FUNNY!"

"Gee, Winry! You crack me up! You have to realize that when we're married, I wouldn't mind walking around in my birthday suit every single second of the day while in your presence."

The moment his mind replayed the words he had just said, he, too, became flustered. "I—uh—what I meant to say was—erm—when we're married—we—"

Winry snickered as she placed a finger on his lips to stop him from further torturing himself. "I know what you mean, Ed."

"Yeah….erm….yeah…" he said as she lifted her finger from his lips.

"Ed?" she said as she gave him a loving stare.

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me." She whispered.

"Gladly." He breathed before eagerly bringing his lip down to hers.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**END OF FLASHBACK**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"That's so romantic! I hope Alphonse one day proposes to me like that!" Mei exclaimed.

"I'm sure Alphonse would have an easier time proposing since he's more of the gentleman. Ed was never great at saying what he wanted to say. There were times where he had his moments and could say a whole speech quite well, but when it came to speaking from the heart, he was pretty clueless. Al has always been more sensitive to girls' feelings than Ed."

"So…what names have you decided for the upcoming child?" Mei asked.

"Well…if the baby is a boy, we thought about naming him Edward Nickolas Elric and if the baby is a girl, we like Amalie Irene Elric."

"Those are beautiful names!" Mei exclaimed. "So…what was Edward's reaction when you told him that you were pregnant? Was he surprised? Excited? Mad?"

"Ed certainly wasn't mad. You see…."

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**FLASHBACK**

**THIRD PERSON**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Winry paced back and forth, not sure how to tell him. She wanted to tell him at the perfect moment but she wasn't sure when that perfect moment will be.

As she continually paced back and forth, she heard the front door open and her husband saying "I'm home!"

Winry walked over to him, took off his coat and smiled. "How was work today?"

"Well…Mustang called me today." Ed replied.

"Oh?"

"Yeah…He said that Central has just finished building a school for young Alchemist wannabes."

"Is that so? Why did he call you to tell you that?" Winry asked.

"Well, he was wondering if I could go there and teach a class called Fundamentals of Alchemy."

"That's wonderful Ed! You'll be able to do something you want to do!" Winry smiled.

Ed sighed.

"What's wrong? Do you not want to do it?"

"No…that isn't it. You see, he explained to me that all of the other staff members are Alchemists. Mustang was asked to find someone who knew Alchemy backwards and forwards but wasn't an Alchemist. He was very straightforward about it. The job offer sounded interesting but when he said that, it kind of made me feel kind of like a reject."

"Edward Elric! Don't you ever say that! You are a skilled Alchemist despite the fact you currently don't have Alchemy! Sure, as of right now, you may not have Alchemy but I have faith and I know you will once again regain it. You are a smart and brilliant young man and I think it is time you put that genius brain of yours to use! Who knows, maybe you will discover some things as you teach the class. Maybe there will be a student who is bright enough to find your questions. Ed, you know there's a reason for everything. I think the very first thing you should do if you choose to teach that class is to tell them your story. Maybe they'll listen to you and not make the same mistakes as you and Al did!"

"Winry, I think this offer is a great opportunity but we'd have to move…at least while I have this job." Ed stated as he clasped his wife's fingers within his.

"I already told you, Ed. As long as I'm with you, I'll go anywhere! We don't have to sell the house. We can keep it as a temporary vacation home until we decide to move back. The house is paid for and before Granny died, she handed us the papers to the house. Like you said, you have all that money and have really nothing to do with it. Well, I'm going to tell you what to do with it! You're going to buy us a home in Central so you can teach that job!"

"I haven't even consented yet!" Ed replied.

"Edward, I know you, Sweetie. I know you would jump for a chance like this! Besides, did General Mustang ever tell you of the pay?"

"The job pays well. In fact, it pays twice as much as the military pays me. It'll be ample enough to live by if that's truly what you want." He stated.

"Ed," Winry spoke as she placed her hand on his arm. "What do you want, my love?"

"I think it would be a brilliant opportunity but what if the class thinks I'm just second rate?"

"Ed, I remember you telling me something that one time I thought I was pregnant…You said I shouldn't fret over something unknown yet. You shouldn't either. You haven't even met the class yet and you're already making assumptions based on fear." Winry replied.

"You're right, Win. You're absolutely right." He smiled before leaning in for a simple, chaste kiss.

"And don't you forget that." She tapped him on the arm as she began walking up the stairs.

"Where're you going?"

"Well…Dinner won't be for another hour…I was thinking of taking a bath. Feel free to join me if you like." She said before she made her way up the stairs.

Ed eagerly followed her and met her in the master bathroom, already stripped of her clothes and the tub mostly filled.

"How is it that no matter how many times I see you naked, you're even more radiant than the last time?" Ed asked as he peeled off his clothes.

Winry turned off the faucet and walked up to him after he pulled his boxers off and wrapped her arms around him, saying, "Maybe it's because I'm your irresistible, beautiful, talented Automail mechanic that every man is jealous of."

"Is that so?"

"You know it." Winry gave him a wink before kissing his bare chest.

"You definitely can't resist this!" he smirked as he brought his fingers to her sides, tickling her.

She squirmed at his touch as he crawled his fingers wherever he could manage, causing her to laugh hysterically.

Ed stopped for a split second and picked her up before placing her in the water. Ed gently laid on top of her and kissed her nose. "I love you."

Winry snaked her arms around his torso and said, "I love you too, Ed."

"You know, Win, you're a brilliant Automail engineer."

"Gee…It took you this long to figure that out?" Winry giggled.

"I'm serious, Winry. I mean, for one, you are capable of making a water-resistant Automail model. That's something a lot of engineers envy. I'm grateful I don't have to take my Automail off every time I need to bathe or shower." Ed stated.

"Well I do try to be the best! But don't go bragging about it to every person you know. You are the only one with a water-resistant limb. Everyone else has to apply oil on their limbs after every time they get wet. I knew you'd be too busy to take care of your Automail when you first needed it so I developed a special metal that was basically waterproof." Winry replied.

"Like I said, you're brilliant. Central could use a talented Automail mechanic like yourself."

"You said it wrong." She sighed. "It is BEAUTIFUL, talented Automail mechanic."

"I know what I said. I know for a fact how beautiful you are, Win. I only have the rights to call you beautiful. If any of your male customers ever admire your beauty while I'm in the room, they'll have me to face."

"You know, Ed, sometimes a compliment is only a compliment. But you're right; you do own the privileges to call me beautiful. And you're the only one who will ever own those rights." Winry smiled, giving Ed a short kiss.

"Winry, I've decided to take the job offer. Besides moving to Central, I don't want anything to change between us."

"Well…about that…there will be some changes, Ed."

"What do you mean?"

"Okay…Consider you are a molecule of Sodium and I'm a molecule of Chlorine."

"Oooookay…I can keep an open mind." Ed gave her a weird look.

"Well, when Sodium and Chlorine combine, they create a new compound, Sodium Chloride."

"I don't know where you're going with this but I'm with you so far." Ed stated.

"Okay…well maybe this may sum it up. You are Sodium and I am Chlorine. Who is Sodium Chloride?"

Ed thought for a moment and repeated what Winry stated. "I am Sodium…You're Chlorine…When Sodium, me, and Chlorine, you, combine, the molecules, us, create a new compound, N-a-C-l….N-a-C-l…N-a-C-L…N-a—WAIT! Are you p-pregnant?"

Winry nodded, nervous for Edward's response.

"That's fantastic! W-what…I mean how long have you been pregnant?"

"Well…I think it's been a month and a half…I'm not entirely sure. I was so preoccupied with Automail customers, that I hadn't realized I didn't have my period in a while. I realized my period was late about two weeks ago so I went to the doctor. They examined me and I finally received the results today." She smiled.

"Wow! Wow! Wow! You're going to be a mother! And I! I'm going to be a father!"

Winry laughed. "I guess I shouldn't have been worried about you being upset. You're taking it really well. In fact, you're taking it better than I originally thought."

"You know I've always found human birth fascinating. You, us, have created a human life. That's something Alchemists only dream of!" Ed exclaimed.

Winry rolled her eyes. "You seem to always make every romantic situation about Alchemy. What am I going to do with you?"

"We could celebrate?" Ed stated, hinting something very suggestive.

"Then bring the party." Winry replied, seductively.

"Way ahead of ya!" Ed stated as he pulled her out of the tub and ran her to the bed without a second thought.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**END OF FLASHBACK**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"Golly, Edward seems like such a goofball at times." Mei chuckled.

"Who's a goofball?" Ed asked as he and Al joined the women. Ed sat next to Winry and Alphonse sat in the chair next to Mei.

"I was telling her of your proposal and of your reaction when I told you I was pregnant." Winry explained as they laced their fingers together.

"So Brother, how is that teaching job of yours?" Al asked.

"It is actually going pretty well. You want to hear about my first day?"

"Certainly!" Al exclaimed, a little to eagerly.

"Okay…well listen very carefully…

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**ANOTHER FLASHBACK**

**.**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Ed nervously walked into the classroom and said, "G-good morning class."

"Good morning!" they all replied.

"Okay, so, well…I'll be straightforward. I've never taught a lesson in my life so we will all be learning new things. So…First and foremost, I just want to say, if you don't know something, don't be afraid to ask."

The class nodded.

"Okay….well…before we start…does anyone have any questions for me? And when I point to you or say some sort of standout description, say your name before asking me anything."

Quite a few people started raising their hands. "Y-yes Blue Shirt?"

"My name is Erik Schneider…I was wondering…are you new here? My dad is on the hiring committee for this school and I've seen every single employee except for you."

"That's a good question, Erik. Although I have lived in Central on and off during my teenage years, I am originally from a small town called Risembool. My wife and I moved here about a week ago after I accepted the job offer." He looked at a girl in the far back and said, "Pigtails in the back."

"I'm Greta Himmel…I have three questions…My first one is, "What job did you do before you moved here?"

"Oh…I was working for the Military on and off. You guys know General Mustang?"

The class nodded.

"Well…he's sort of my boss so he's been sending me places here and there. But mostly he sent me paperwork to look over. What was your second question?"

Greta continued, "My uncle lived in Risembool before he died. He was a police man. Did you know him?"

"Yes…I did…He was good guy." Ed sympathetically stated, remembering how Officer Himmel died. "Third?"

"Um…are you an Alchemist?"

Ed tensed but said as nicely as possible, "No. I'm not. Anymore questions?"

No one raised their hands.

"Okay…well…This class is called Fundamentals of Alchemy. How many do not know what Alchemy is?"

Three students nervously raised their hands.

"Does anyone want to answer?" Ed asked.

A girl with glasses shot her hand in the air. Ed pointed to her and she said, "Alchemy is a skill in Amestris where people have unique abilities to deconstruct, construct and reconstruct matter. This basic concept is known as Equivalent Exchange."

"And your name was?"

The girl blushed for forgetting to introduce herself and replied, "Karla Krueger…"

"That was a good answer, Karla. Now, can anyone who hasn't spoken define Equivalent Exchange?"

No one volunteered.

"Well, Equivalent Exchange is the basic understanding of Alchemy. For example, if I wanted to create a sword, I would have to transmute a substance's matter into the object. Equal matter must be lost in order to gain. But before I continue anything, I would like to tell you the number one rule of Alchemy." He paused then stated, "Do not, under any circumstances, attempt Human Transmutation. It is the ultimate Taboo for every Alchemist."

"My dad knew someone who committed Human Transmutation, but he only lost his hearing. That doesn't seem that bad." Erik blurted out.

"You're right. It doesn't. But just because one person goes deaf, doesn't mean everyone will. The Truth is different for everyone and so the toll is different for everyone as well." Ed replied.

"No offense, but you seem to know a great deal about it for someone who doesn't have Alchemy." Erik stated.

"That's because when I was eleven, my younger brother and I attempted Human Transmutation. He lost his body and I lost my left leg. I bound his soul to a suit of armor and lost my arm for the Equivalent Exchange. I became a State Alchemist at twelve years and my brother and I traveled the country to search for ways to get our bodies back. After a few years of searching, through a lot of hell, we finally were able to accomplish our goal…Well sort of. You see, Al, my brother, transmuted his armor body to return my right arm. Then, I gave up my Alchemy to restore my brother's body to his rightful owner. So that's why I don't have Alchemy and that's why no one should attempt Human Transmutation. People die. That's how the world works and no one should cheat death."

"Why should we believe you?" Erik asked. "For all we know, you were paid by the military to make up that story."

'Persistent brat!'Ed thought and said, "Well, haven't you heard of the Fullmetal Alchemist? That is me. I still have my title in case I ever do restore my Alchemy. If you really want to know if I'm telling the truth, I'll show you."

Ed pulled up his left leg sleeve of his pants and then stretched his shirt to show the scars on his collarbone from the Automail surgery.

The entire class was silent, eyes bulging.

"Any other questions?" Ed asked.

"Sir, my name is Lara Hoffmann. Where's your brother now?" a girl in the front row asked.

"My brother is currently in Xing. He's learning about Alkahestry—Xing's form of Alchemy."

Ed got into a deeper discussion about the basic concepts of Alchemy. He looked at his watch and said, "Class is over for the day…We'll talk about the Transmutation circle tomorrow."

Everyone but Greta left the room. "Excuse me, Mr.…?"

"Oh hey, Greta. Something wrong?"

"Um… My father lost both his legs and his left arm during the Ishval War…He's always wanted Automail but we can't afford it…I was wondering…who your mechanic is?"

"I'm glad you asked, Greta." Ed smiled. "My mechanic is actually my wife. She's actually waiting for me to have lunch. You want to join us?"

"Really?"

"Of course! She is the best Automail mechanic you'll find." Ed smirked, proud to call Winry his wife.

"C-can I talk to her?"

"Absolutely. She's been in need of a tinkering job so just ask away." Ed stated as the two walked outside.

Ed saw Winry waving with a picnic set up and joined up with her. Greta walked slowly and approached the couple.

"Winry…This is Greta…She's a student of mine."

"Why hello, Greta! I'm Winry Elric! It's nice to meet you!" Winry smiled. "Do you want something to eat? I made extras."

"I don't want to intrude, ma'am. I just want to ask you something." Greta stated, bashfully.

"What is it?"

"Well…you see…my father lost three of his four limbs to the Ishvalan War…He's been wanting Automail limbs but we can't afford it. I was wondering what your prices are." Greta replied.

"Well, because your father has lost more than two limbs, I am willing to provide him limbs for half the usual price. I understand that economic situations are tough and three automail limbs can be very expensive. Don't worry. If your father wants to talk to me about Automail, tell him that he doesn't have to pay outright. He can pay as he can and when he can. It isn't any rush." Winry smiled. "In fact, here is my business card. Have him call me using that number at the bottom."

Winry handed Greta the business card and bowed with respect before running off to find her friends.

"You're amazing, Winry."

"I know." Winry laughed.

"Since when did you have that policy about selling limbs at half price if the patient needs more than two?" Ed asked, raising an eyebrow.

"About a minute ago." Winry stated with a straight face. "Honestly, my pay depends on the income of the person. If they can afford it, they get the whole price. If they can't, I'll knock it down. I want my costumers happy. That's all."

Ed kissed her forehead and said, "Well you certainly make me happy!"

"That's such a relief!" Winry sarcastically said as Edward bit into his sandwich.

"Yeah…"

And the rest of Ed's classes were pretty much a repeat of his first one.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**END OF FLASHBACK**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

"That Erik kid sounds an awful like someone else I know." Al snickered. "At least now you know how your teachers felt when you asked them all those questions in science class."

"I guess you're right. The class seems to thoroughly enjoy it. I mean, it isn't like the homework is hard."

"So…what happened to Greta's father?" Mei asked Winry.

"I was able to strike a deal with him and gave him one limb for free and sold him the other two for only 8000 Cenz (A/N: Approx. $100)." Winry smiled.

"That was very generous of you, Winry. Too bad Ed couldn't have such a deal." Al laughed.

"Hey, like I said, if one can pay for it, he's gonna pay for it and Ed did…Eventually…like after we married. He finally said, "Your money is my money and my money is your money. So, I just paid you back for all of the maintenance I avoided." What a charmer, right?"

"Hey, I resent that! I did say that but you know my salary is far higher than what I would have paid accumulatively for the Automail."

"Alright. Point taken." Winry stated before rubbing her nose against Ed's.

"Ugh…Get a room." Al stated, embarrassed.

"That's not such a bad idea…" Ed thought out loud. 'Then again, since she's gotten pretty large, sex will be kinda hard to do….'

"So how long are you two staying in Central?" Winry asked, ignoring her husband's outburst.

"How does four months sound? I'm sure you'll need help around the house as your pregnancy progresses. Also, I think it be fun if Ed allows me to guest speak in his class."

"Gee…Might as well, Al. I mean, you practically just invited your own self." Ed rolled his eyes. "But, they would be interested in seeing what you look like and if you really are human."

The group laughed as they continued to talk about their current lives.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Ed and Al were pacing back and forth as they heard Winry scream for the hundredth time that day.

"What's taking her so long?!" Ed shouted in frustration.

"Calm down, Brother! I'm sure it's just painful. Mei is in there with her. Remember? She's Winry's midwife." Al replied.

Winry screamed another painful shrill.

"GAAAH! THAT'S IT! I'M GOING IN THERE!" Ed yelled as he clamped his hands on his head.

"Brother! That wouldn't be wise!" Al shouted, but Ed ignored him. Ed barged into the room and said, "What's going on?!"

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Winry shouted. "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN HERE! GET OUT!"

With all her might, she plunged her wrench at him to send him out of the room.

Ed leapt up, peeled the tool from his face and was about to walk back in until Al grabbed his arm. "Like I said, Brother, it isn't wise."

"But! She's in pain! I should be with her!" Ed whined.

"Birth is a natural thing. She'll be over it soon. Another scream caused Ed and Al to jump.

Suddenly, a small cry emitted from the crack of the door.

Without thinking, Ed walked in and noticed an exhausted Winry lying down on the bed. He saw Mei cleaning up the baby while she hummed.

Winry took ahold of Edward's hand and said, "Hey there."

"Hey."

"Sorry about the wrench…" she stated.

"No problem." Ed replied.

"Congratulations, Ed. You have a son." Winry smiled.

Ed kissed her fingers as Mei handed the bundle of life to Winry.

"He's so beautiful." Winry said as she cradled the little boy.

Ed had to agree. This little boy was created by Winry and him. Something no Alchemy could ever create. For the first time in his life, he was proud to have created something without the aid of Alchemy.

"He's so tiny!" Ed stated, mesmerized.

"He's a baby, Silly." Winry said.

"He's our baby." Ed beamed with happiness.

"Yes, Edward. He's our baby boy. Our little Edward Nicklaus Elric." Winry whispered.

"Eddie for short." Ed stated. "Or else, I'd get confused."

Winry laughed and said, "I'm tired…I want to rest. Will you watch over him?"

"M-me?"

"Of course, you! You are his father!" Winry laughed. She showed him how to hold his hands and gently placed little Eddie on top of his arms. Ed simply rocked in the chair with Eddie safe in his arms as Winry slept from utter exhaustion.

Ed smiled. He looked at his beautiful wife and then back at his son and knew, everything at this very moment was perfect.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

Ed and Winry ended up having four wonderful children. When Eddie was one, they were blessed with Amalie Irene. She was nothing like Eddie. Eddie, like Edward, was spunky and adventurous. Eddie was twice as stubborn as both his parents; he was a true Edward. Thank goodness for Amalie that she was very calm and peaceful. She didn't like screaming or shouting like Eddie. Shortly after Amalie turned two, Ed and Winry gave birth to twins—Nina Marie and Arthur Alexander.

They watched their children grow up to be fine Alchemists. Eddie became a State Alchemist at seventeen and served the military like his father did. Amalie started writing novels of her father and uncle's journeys. She felt like they had to be told and shared around the world. Nina grew up to be a successful doctor and used her Alchemy skills to help people in need. Arthur eventually took over Edward's class so his father and mother could retire to Risembool.

Almost fifty years old, Ed laid down in bed next to his wife. "Goodnight Winry."

"Ed?"

"Hm?"

"Do you regret not ever restoring your Alchemy?" Winry asked.

"Not one bit. I wouldn't trade this life for the world if it was offered to me." Ed smiled and kissed Winry.

"I love you Ed. You've given me so much more than I deserve and I thank you."

"Winry, you deserve so much more than what I could ever give you. If I could give you the universe, I'd find something greater to provide to you."

"I know you would." Winry laughed.

Ed kissed her goodnight and whispered "I love you" before she fell asleep.

'Winry, you have shined brighter than all the stars combine and I will make sure you continue to shine like that forever.' Ed thought before he drifted to a peaceful sleep next to his wife.

And life for the Elrics couldn't get any more perfect than it already is now.

**鋼の錬金術****師**

_**Keiko Fujiwara: **_

_**Thank you so much for your continual support for Her Shine. I hope people loved this story as much as I did. **_

_**I promise to write more EdxWin stuff! .**_

_**Until next time!**_

_**Keiko Fujiwara **_


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